Dublin, 25th June 2024 The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has welcomed the news that Aer Lingus and the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) have agreed to attend meetings at the Labour Court today, Tuesday, 25th June.
The ITAA is asking “that both parties put the customer at the centre of the agenda and to approach the talks with the will to find a resolution which will work for both sides.”
Clare Dunne, CEO of the ITAA said, “We are asking them to sit down in a respectful, sensible manner and find the solution that is there to be found.”
Dunne continued, “ITAA members have been working hard all weekend and are still working on behalf of their customers to minimize the disruption to them and to rebook them and get them away on their holidays.”
“The good news is that ITAA Travel Agents around the country have reported that they have now managed to rebook/reroute or arrange refunds for the majority of their customers who were impacted by the first tranche of cancellations. They are now beginning to work on the new list issued this morning with cancellations for next Monday & Tuesday 1st & 2nd July. We are also extremely concerned regarding the cumulative effect of this dispute. Many people only get the chance of one holiday per year and they have spent a lot of their money on it – it is hugely disappointing that their long and carefully arranged plans are now in disarray. Therefore we are asking both sides to come to a resolution on this sooner rather than later.”
At this time of year, Aer Lingus carries approximately 44,000 passengers daily. So far roughly 35,000 passengers have had their travel plans disrupted. Industrial action by Aer Lingus pilots is due to start on Wednesday, 26th June. Passengers can check their consumer rights on the Irish Aviation website www.iaa.ie
