Aer Lingus cancels 124 flights as pilots to strike

Aer Lingus said regional services between Belfast and Great Britain "will not be affected"

Aer Lingus has has cancelled 124 flights during the first five days of upcoming industrial action by pilots.

Earlier this week the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) served notice of an indefinite work-to-rule from Wednesday 26 June as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

On Friday IALPA members at Aer Lingus said they now plan to strike on Saturday 29 June from 05:00-13:00 BST.

In a statement the airline said it is "appalled that IALPA would further escalate this industrial action, following the insidious action previously announced."

It said the strike is "clearly designed to inflict maximum damage on passenger’s travel plans".

Aer Lingus said it will work to minimise disruption to passengers.

On Thursday the airline announced that it would have to cancel between 10% and 20% of flights over the first five days of the action.

It is believed the action will affect up to 40,000 passengers due to fly with the airline from 26 June and 2 July and up to 44 flights per day will be cancelled by Aer Lingus.

Aer Lingus said the cancellations would enable it to "protect as many services as possible for as many of our customers as possible".

However, regional services to and from Belfast and Great Britain during this period "will not be affected by any industrial relations action and will operate as scheduled," the airline said.

Joe Giggs says his and fiancé Chloe's wedding plans have been put in limbo

Joe Giggs and his fiancé Chloe, from Donadea in County Kildare, are due to get married in Portugal on 2 July.

He said: "We were meant to be flying out to Lisbon on 26 June with Aer Lingus - I booked new flights on Monday with another airline for almost €1,000."

Mr Giggs's main concern is for his wedding guests who are meant to fly next week.

"A lot of guests are booked with Aer Lingus, so we could potentially have very close family and friends missing our wedding," he added.

The couple has been planning and saving for the wedding for two years.

He said it was "heart breaking" that many of his close friends and family might not make it to the big day.

He added: "Personally I would like to see the pilots paid. I understand they are already on large salaries compared to the average worker but I will always try to support collective action and trade unions where I can."

However, he added that he believed the timing of the action was "deeply unfair".

'It's been really stressful'

Judit Mateo is among fans hoping to attend the Taylor Swift concert next week who are worried they won't make it

Judit Mateo, 20, from Barcelona, is waiting to find out if her flight to Dublin has been affected by the industrial action.

She is due to fly on Wednesday 26 June for the Taylor Swift concert on Friday.

She said: "It's been really stressful. I haven't been able to focus at work because all I can think about is when I will know for sure if I'll be able to attend the concert."

Miss Mateo said she has been trying to contact the airline but "they're not picking up the phone so I'm not really sure what I can do about this".

She added: "I was flying to Dublin to attend the Eras show, I was going to see Taylor Swift for the first time ever, so it is a big deal.

"So far, the only thing I know is that they are willing to change my plane tickets for another week but since the concert is on June 28th that doesn't work for me."

She is hoping to receive a refund, if her flight is affected, in time to book an alterative airline but if that doesn't happen, she says she "will not be able to afford another plane ticket, so it will be really hard on me if I can't make it to Dublin on time."

Aer Lingus said affected customers will have a number of options made available to them.

Those due to travel abroad between 26 June and 2 July can change flights for free, claim a refund or get a voucher.

However, some customers are concerned they are being "left in limbo".

The airline said that customers affected by flight cancellations will begin to be contacted from Friday.

Pilots who are members of the IALPA voted 99% in support of action, up to and including a strike.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland about how long work to rule would continue, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said it would depend on Aer Lingus.

He said talks had been going on for 22 months and added that the 24% pay rise which is being sought is an "accumulative increase of inflation over time".

He told the show that while the pay structure for Aer Lingus pilots was similar to other airlines the top end of the scale could only be reached after 26 years.

Aer Lingus said that: "IALPA's industrial action will have a wholly unnecessary impact on customers who are travelling in the coming weeks, at what is peak holiday season for families.

"The nature of this industrial action will cause a significant impact on our flight schedules."