Aer Lingus is accusing pilots of attempting to “blackmail” holidaymakers – claiming their industrial action was “designed to create maximum damage to the customers”.

A strike has been called after a demand for a 24% pay rise by the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) was rejected. 

Between 10 and 20% of Aer Lingus flights will be cancelled next week and an estimated 30 to 40,000 travellers will be impacted. 

Taoiseach Simon Harris has described it as “utterly reprehensible” that children due to go on holiday could be used as “pawns in an industrial relations dispute”. 

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty said he agreed with the Taoiseach’s assessment of the situation. 

“I agree with him that it’s absolutely unfair that customers should have this industrial action inflicted upon them, damaging their ability to go on their summer holidays - perhaps their one break a year - by a pay claim that is essentially a blackmail of 24%” he said. 

“It’s not tenable, it’s not going to happen and we think the place to resolve it is the Industrial Relations machinery of the State.” 

Mr Moriarty said Aer Lingus has tried to engage in “meaningful discussions” with IALPA but that their demand for a 24% pay increase for pilots was simply too much. 

“We’ve agreed 12.25% with everyone else,” he said. 

“We have offered to IALPA a process by which we would discuss and build that by agreeing on new productivity and new flexibilities. 

“So far, they’ve refused to have those discussions; they ended discussions with us last Monday.

“We are willing to re-engage with them straight away.”

Aer Lingus planes at Dublin Airport, 3-1-24. Image: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

Mr Moriarty said it was clear that pilots itentionally organised the strike at a time when there is particuarly high demand for air travel. 

“When we assessed the form of the industrial action, it became clear it was particularly insidious in that it was designed to create maximum damage to the customers,” Mr Moriarty said. 

“So, what we’ve had to do in order to try to minimise that impact is cancel between 10 and 20% of our flights from next Wednesday onwards - the first five days of the action."

Any passengers on a cancelled flight will be offered re-accommodation, refunds or Aer Lingus vouchers that they can spend at a later date. 

“For passengers who are anxious about their travel in the week commencing on the 26th of June, we’ve offered them the opportunity to proactively cancel their flight, take a refund, a voucher or indeed rebook for free,” Mr Moriarty said.

The IALPA has argued a 24% pay increase for pilots is reasonable given they have not had a pay rise since 2019.

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Main image: Aer Lingus jets parked up on the runway of Dublin Airport in April 2020. Picture by: Niall Carson/PA Archive/PA Images