Q&A: What should I do if my flight is cancelled due to Aer Lingus pilots' dispute?
Aer Time Next From Potentially Go Any Pilots Strike Could On Monday Lingus
Passengers who have flights booked for the weeks ahead may have to contend with the possibility of strikes, after Aer Lingus members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) on Tuesday served notice of their intention to go on indefinite work-to-rule, from Wednesday, June 26.
Aer Lingus typically carries in excess of 40,000 passengers per day during the summer months. Strikes could spell chaos for the airline industry across the continent ahead of the peak summer weeks.
The work-to-rule, which means the pilots will not do any overtime or out of hours duties requested by management, is set to begin from a minute past midnight on Wednesday, June 26.
Here, we answer your questions about the dispute between Ialpa and Aer Lingus, and what potential pilot strikes might mean for you.
The dispute between pilots and the airline centres around pay. The airline’s pilots are seeking a 23.8% pay rise over three years to bring their pay broadly in line with that of pilots working for British Airways which, like Aer Lingus, is owned by International Airlines Group (IAG).
Aer Lingus Ialpa members have already rejected a Labour Court recommendation dating from May that they should receive a pay increase agreement of 9.25%.
The indefinite work-to-rule will begin on Wednesday, June 26 at one minute past midnight.
Ialpa is legally required to give Aer Lingus a minimum of one week’s notice of any strike action.
As the work-to-rule was announced on Tuesday evening, it gives Aer Lingus one day more than the statutory minimum to prepare a contingency plan.
However, Aer Lingus had requested it be given at least 15 days’ notice to allow more time for alternative arrangements to be put in place for its passengers.
Under European Union regulations, airline consumers do have certain rights when their flights are delayed or cancelled due to strike action.
Per Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of February 11, 2004, airlines are required to compensate passengers for flight disruptions they are responsible for.
In 2021, this regulation was clarified further when the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled disruption caused by airline employee strikes were not an extraordinary circumstance, and therefore passengers affected by them qualify for compensation because the airline was considered responsible for the behaviour of its staff.
So, if your flight is disrupted, the airline is required to offer you reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking.
It should either refund you the full price of your ticket, offer you an alternative flight to your destination, or book you on to another flight at a later date.
Connected to this is your right to care.
For example, if your flight home from Spain is disrupted due to a strike, the airline is legally required to look after you while you wait for them to formulate alternative travel arrangements on your behalf.
Depending on the length of the delay, the airline carrier must also provide you with:
- Meals and refreshments during the delay;
- Access to communications, including two telephone calls, fax messages, and emails;
- Overnight accommodation, including transportation to and from the airport to your hotel, if necessary.
Airlines are obliged to inform passengers of their options in the event of a delay or cancellation. If this happens at the airport, airline staff should be on hand to talk you through your next steps. You can also contact your carrier's website and provide them with your flight information.
Alternative travel arrangements are one thing, compensation is another. Under EU regulations, consumers can receive €250 if their flight is cancelled, if the journey is less than 1,500km. For longer flights, you can receive up to €600 in compensation in the event of a cancellation.
There are some caveats, however. Passengers are not entitled to compensation if they have received at least two weeks’ notice that their flight has been cancelled.
Specific information on what compensation you might be entitled to avail of can be found here.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is responsible for enforcing your rights as regards air travel in Ireland, so if you are having trouble accessing compensation, you can lodge a complaint with it.
Some travel insurance policies do cover disruption in the event of a strike, but some do not.
The best way to find out about cover is to contact your travel insurer directly to see what cover, if any, it can offer you if a strike forces you to abandon your holiday plans.
One thing which is important to note here is that, if you were to take out travel insurance right now, you are unlikely to be covered for your flight.
This is because, now that potential strikes have been announced and flagged, underwriters are likely to say you should have been aware of the possibility of disruption.