A fresh bid to resolve the Aer Lingus pilots’ pay dispute has been welcomed by the Irish Travel Agents Association (Itaa).
The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) has accepted an invitation to talks with Aer Lingus today, with industrial action to continue in the meantime.
The talks are due to take place this morning at a hotel near Dublin airport.
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It comes after after the airline wrote to the union on Wednesday, asking it to attend a meeting with airline executives.
With a work to rule set to continue in the meantime, Itaa reiterated a plea for both parties to 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 of them.
Aer Lingus has so far cancelled 270 flights because of the work to rule and a planned eight-hour strike on Saturday. The airline carries about 44,000 passengers a day air this time of year.
Separate meetings on Tuesday at the Irish Labour Court failed to reach a resolution to avert the indefinite work to rule which started yesterday.
Itaa chief executive Clare Dunne said: “We are asking them to sit down in a respectful, sensible manner and find the solution that is there to be found.
“We are asking both sides to come to the talks in a spirit of goodwill, to listen to each other and make up their minds to find a solution which can allow both sides to get back to looking after customers. Disputes all end sooner or later – it is within their power to make it sooner.”
Luis Gallego, chief executive of Aer Lingus owner International Airlines Group earlier insisted that the airline remains open for “meaningful” dialogue with the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa).
Speaking at IAG’s annual general meeting, he insisted that Aer Lingus management was working to minimise the impact of the pilot industrial action.
“Aer Lingus is available for meaningful direct discussions with Ialpa in order to seek a resolution to this pay dispute and is also engaging with the Irish Labour Court,” Gallego said.
The airline said: “Aer Lingus has made it clear that it remains available for discussions both directly and through the state’s industrial relations framework.
“Aer Lingus will continue to focus on minimising the disruption caused to customers by IALPA’s industrial action.
“Aer Lingus is calling upon Ialpa to consider the damage that its continued industrial action is inflicting upon passengers, the company and the Irish economy.”
Prolonged industrial action at Aer Lingus would threaten Ireland’s wider tourism sector, the head of the country’s largest hotel group warned.
The caution came in a trading update from the head of Dalata Hotel Group today.
Dalata chief executive Dermot Crowley said: “Within the Irish market, we are not yet seeing any material impact of industrial action at Aer Lingus, though any prolonged dispute presents risk to the wider industry in Ireland.”
Aer Lingus regional services operated by Emerald Airlines and the airline’s transatlantic flights from Manchester airport are not affected by the pay dispute.