Aer Lingus has been forced to cancel at least 244 flights next week due to industrial action carried out by the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA). The association served the airline with notice of an indefinite work-to-rule starting on 26 June as part of an ongoing pay dispute. Members are now planning additional action on 29 June between 05:00-13:00 BST, which will affect around 15,000 passengers alone.
Aer Lingus stated that in total, over 40,000 passengers from 26 June to 2 July will experience effects from the industrial action. The Irish broadcaster RTÉ predicted that the number of cancellations could increase throughout the period of the work-to-rule strike. The cancelled flights will be short haul Dublin to London Heathrow; Paris; Amsterdam; Lyons; Berlin; Birmingham; Brussels; Dusseldorf; Rome; Frankfurt; Geneva; Hamburg; Manchester; Munich; Vienna, and short haul Cork to London Heathrow as well as long haul flights from Dublin to JFK.
All regional services coming to and from Great Britain and Belfast will continue to offer normal services. Aer Lingus said that the cancellations were necessary because it would “protect as many services as possible for as many of our customers as possible.” The airline added that it was “appalled that IALPA would further escalate this industrial action, following the insidious action previously announced” and that the strike was clearly intended “to inflict maximum damage on passengers’ travel plans.”
Last Thursday, the airline revealed that it would have to cancel approximately 10-20% of flights during the first five days of the action. Aer Lingus concluded by insisting that it would work hard to minimize the inconvenience and distress the passengers
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