Aer Lingus’ pilots union has put the airline on notice of a “deteriorating situation in the pilot body” at the airline.
A “growing number of issues” including the changing of arrangements for crews travelling on US flights over Christmas from both Dublin and the airline’s new Manchester base are causing unrest with pilots.
The main concern around these trips related to the practice of the airline in other years to leave aircraft and their crew for up to four days at US airports such as JFK.
Younger crew in particular would volunteer for the special Christmas duty and would be paid up to $150 (€131) in expenses.
The crew would also be given access to free or reduced price tickets for family members to make the journey to the US for the period.
But this year the airline has indicated to staff it will instead bring a second crew on impacted flights over Christmas, so that they can return to Ireland and will not have to spend Christmas in the US, according to sources.
In a letter to Aer Lingus Chief People Officer Brian Bowden, Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) President Captain Evan Cullen said: “We are no longer in the business of preventing and/or cleaning up the fallout from problems not of our making.”
On top of this the airline has only been paying its pilots 50% of their pay and trying to keep as many of them ‘current’ – pilots need at least three take-offs and three landings every 90 days to meet the requirements of their commercial pilot licences.
