Aer Lingus has posted a notice on its website saying it will try to minimise inconvenience for passengers impacted by work-to-rule industrial action by its pilots starting next week due to a pay dispute.
It also says, controversially, that passengers are not entitled to compensation if they receive seven days notice of a cancellation.
The action by the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) is expected to cause significant disruption during the busy summer period for the airline.
Aer Lingus has assured passengers that it will keep them updated and provide options if their flights are affected, offering rebooking, vouchers, or cash refunds if flights are cancelled.
The industrial action will involve pilots refusing to work on days off, declining overtime, and not accessing electronic crew portals outside work hours, potentially leading to further unrest and the possibility of strike action.
The website notice says: “we are currently assessing the impact of the full detail of the industrial action served by IAPLA, including the ‘work-to-rule’ that they have outlined to commence on 26 June 2024. At this time, there is no impact to our schedule,” it noted. Our customer care team will do all possible to minimise the impact of disruption to our customers. We understand customer concerns and will continue to keep you updated on developments on our website and will alert customers directly, if their flights have been impacted. If you booked through a third-party (travel or online agent or another airline), we will notify the original sales agent of the change to your itinerary. If your flight is cancelled, they have three options: (1) Change their booking online, (2) Request a voucher for future travel, (3) Request a cash refund under EU rules. Passengers are not entitled to compensation if they are notified of the flight cancellation between seven days and two weeks before departure and are offered re-routing that allows them to depart no more than two hours before the original scheduled time of departure and to reach their final destination less than four hours after the original scheduled time of arrival. They are informed of the cancellation less than seven days before the original scheduled time of departure and are offered re-routing, allowing them to depart no more than one hour before the scheduled time of departure and to reach their final destination less than two hours after the scheduled time of arrival.”
