Belfast travel agent issues advice for passengers affected by Aer Lingus pilot strike action

The head of one of Northern Ireland's leading travel agencies has moved to reassure holidaymakers that they will not be left to their own devices ahead of this week's work-to-rule by Aer Lingus pilots amid a bitter dispute over pay.

Thousands of passengers intending to travel with Aer Lingus over the coming week face huge uncertainty. The airline has already cancelled more than 200 flights, affecting 35,000 passengers, ahead of the action by members of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA).

A work-to-rule action will run from Wednesday to Sunday, with an eight-hour strike planned for Saturday. The industrial action will not affect Aer Lingus’s regional service between Belfast and Great Britain but has caused concern for Northern Ireland travellers passing through Dublin Airport this summer.

READ MORE: Airport warns of potential travel disruption due to Grand Central Station works

READ MORE: Swifties at risk of missing Dublin gigs urge star to intervene in airline strike

Sandra Corkin, managing director of Oasis Travel, told Belfast Live: "We obviously have an awful lot of people affected by this and it's a very mixed bag at the minute. We have those who we know their flights are definitely cancelled and we have been able to go ahead and make alternative arrangements for them.

"We are waiting for a couple of cruise companies to get back to us with alternative flight details as they would have already booked flights on behalf of our clients. They have hundreds of people affected by this that they're trying to protect.

"There are also those people travelling before July 2nd who have been advised that they can get their money back and make alternative arrangements. Some of those people are waiting to see what happens while others who do not want to take a chance are making alternative arrangements.

"I think it's going to be really hard to predict the full impact until Wednesday when the industrial action officially starts but if anything goes wrong passengers will not be left to their own devices and we will help make alternative arrangements.

"We have had to ask for patience, particularly from those already on or travelling to cruise ships, because of the volume of people affected but the cruise companies have reassured us that they're working around the clock to ensure they have alternative flights for people."

But Sandra warned that some customers who have booked their holiday separately may be at higher risk of disruption compared to those with a package holiday booking who will be protected by their ATOL partner.

She explained: "Everybody we have is on an ATOL protected package and they will get back. It's probably not possible to get everyone rebooked on direct flights as there just aren't enough of them but we will get everybody sorted out.

"But it may not be straightforward with some people having to take two flights to get home or on the day they planned and have to stay an extra night."

Sandra added: "In the travel industry, this is something we've seen happening before and will again so getting the best outcome for customers is our number one priority."

Pilots are seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019. Aer Lingus has said it is willing to offer pay increases of 12.5% or above if “improvements in productivity and flexibility” are discussed.

Aer Lingus had previously branded the pilots’ industrial action “insidious” and compared it to “blackmail”, while pilots accused the company of threats and “antagonism”.

The pilots had balloted to take part in a work-to-rule action, which would involve pilots not engaging in overtime or out-of-hours duties over five days from Wednesday. The airline said it would prepare by cancelling 124 flights, affecting 20,000 customers, over the five days.

Shortly after the airline confirmed which flights were cancelled on Friday, an eight-hour strike was announced by the pilots for Saturday, June 29th running from 5am to 1pm. The airline said 120 more flights would need to be cancelled, affecting thousands more passengers.

Of the total 244 cancelled flights, affecting 35,000 passengers, Aer Lingus said it had notified all passengers affected and accommodated 80% with alternatives such as a refund or rebooking.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.