NO DELAYS HAVE been reported at Dublin Airport on the first day of industrial action, and all is running smoothly in Terminal 2 this morning. 

Industrial action by pilots for the airline is now underway, and has already resulted in over 270 flights being cancelled. 

An Aer Lingus employee at Dublin Airport this morning told The Journal that no passengers have arrived so far for cancelled flights, as customers have been informed of changes ahead of time. 

A cabin crew member working for the airline said that flight attendants are concerned that they will be “put on reserve” if more flights are cancelled, which means being on standby from home without getting paid, but that in general people working for the airline are supportive of the strike. 

“It looks like they are asking for a lot, but really they got a pay cut during Covid-19,” she said. 

Amy and Joby from Cork City are among the Aer Lingus passengers in Dublin Airport today and are flying out to San Diego for a trip they have saved for and looked forward to for some time.

Amy said that while she understands why the pilots are undertaking this action, she thinks it’s a “bit unfair” that customers are feeling the brunt of the impact.

“We were still not sure how it would go today but everything seems normal now that we are here, but we didn’t get any confirmation the flight was going ahead until we got here today,” Amy said.

Passengers checking the departures board in Terminal 2.

Meanwhile, Joby told The Journal that he supports the industrial action as Aer Lingus “make enough money” and can “afford to pay people properly”.

“Customers might be affected, but that’s the airlines fault,” he added.

Niall, who is set for Lanzarote with his son today, said that the pilots are asking for “a lot of money, for just one group, and there are other people working for the airline.”

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“It’s bad timing for customers, but it’s the best timing for the pilots, no point striking when it is quiet, I think in the end the pilots will end up accepting a pay increase of around 15%,” he said. 

A Cork man headed to Spain with a large group for a golfing competition said “Well, if they don’t ask they won’t get,” and when asked if he was worried about his flights getting cancelled, he said: “There’s bigger things happening in the world”. 

Abbey and Steven, a young Belfast couple who were travelling to Minneapolis  with their two little boys – Luke and Tom – said they are relieved that their flight is going ahead, but they feel bad for other people who have had to cancel their holidays. 

“We’ve been checking and checking everyday, but so far so good. I think the strike is fair enough, it’s just unfortunate that it’s at a time when so many people are travelling,” he said. 

The Pilots’ union IALPA this morning agreed to talks with Aer Lingus. They are asking for a 24% increase in pay, and previously rejected an offer of an 9.25% increase. 

Both the airline and the union attended separate meetings with the Labour court yesterday, but the court said it would not be intervening at this time, and that it would review the matter in July.