A man from County Down has shared the disappointment of his children after their trip to Disney World was cancelled due to the ongoing pay dispute between Aer Lingus and its pilots. At least 220 flights have been cancelled as pilots prepare for industrial action, with an indefinite work-to-rule set to begin on Wednesday and an eight-hour strike scheduled for Saturday. Aer Lingus and the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) are holding separate meetings at the Labour Court in an effort to resolve the dispute.
Andrew McKee, from Bangor, was part of a group of nine due to fly to Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, but was informed on Friday that the flights were cancelled. McKee explained: “I have a five-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy and they were just devastated whenever I told them.” He went on to say that his daughter, Lucy, had cried when she heard the news.
McKee was offered the option of either changing his flights or requesting a refund. He explained, however, that the flight element was just one part of the wider holiday package: “There’s the park tickets, there’s the accommodation, there’s the car hire, you know everything else.”
Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has accused both Aer Lingus and IALPA of ignoring the public. Speaking about those affected by cancelled flights, he said: “They’ve planned for these, they’ve saved for these – it’s shocking that they’re being ignored, and wilfully, if you like, put to one side in this battle between the management of Aer Lingus and unions.” Despite his disappointment at missing out on the trip, McKee stated that he supports pilots’ right to strike: “I think the pilots have a very difficult job in that they deserve to get paid well… but at the same time, it’s hard.
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