Hundreds of Aer Lingus pilots who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association are on strike

Hundreds of Aer Lingus pilots who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots Association are on strike this morning in a dispute over pay. 

Aer Lingus yesterday announced another 120 flight cancellations between Wednesday and Sunday next week, on top of the 270 already canceled since the strike began three days ago.

The airline expects to cancel up to 20% of flights per day from June 26.  Aer Lingus said it would cancel 10% to 20% of services for the first five days of the strike, from Wednesday June 26 to Sunday June 30. The airline will notify affected customers of the cancellation within the next day.

To accommodate inconvenienced passengers, Aer Lingus is offering a free flight change option for those traveling between June 26 and July 2. Passengers can cancel their trips and request a refund or voucher. The airline will inform all travel agents and passengers directly about these options. Also, any updates and information will be available on the company's 'Travel Advisory' page.

The work stoppage, which began at 5 am and lasted until 1 pm, resulted in the cancellation of 120 flights, affecting up to 17,000 passengers.

Pilots are seeking a pay rise of up to 24% after the last pay increase in 2019 to account for the increase in the cost of living.

However, as other workers in the company have only received a 12% pay rise, the company refuses to increase their pay by this amount without agreeing to new productivity and flexibility concessions.

500 pilots picketed at Dublin Airport this morning before returning to work at lunchtime.