Pilots ready to strike over pay claim

Bad news for anyone booked to fly on Irish airline Aer Lingus over the next couple of weeks.

It seems Aer Lingus has not been employing enough pilots - and has been relying on them to do overtime to keep planes in the air.

Now, as part of proposed strike action, Aer Lingus pilots will start work-to-rule action from Wednesday, meaning they will decline overtime work or any out-of-hours duties.

As a result, the airline expects to cancel up to 20% of flights, news portal Travel Mole reports.

The work-to-rule action could potentially represent over 40 flights a day scrapped.

The airline operates an average of 220 flights a day during the summer season.

Donal Moriarty, chief corporate affairs officer for Aer Lingus, said: “Impacted passengers will be contacted and advised of cancellations and given their options in terms of refund, re-accommodation or voucher.”

Pilots are taking action over a requested pay increase of nearly 24%.

The airline has offered just over half of this.

The pilots’ union say their demand is the equivalent of real terms inflation since they last had a pay rise in 2019.

The airline’s short-haul Europe schedule is likely to be most at risk, Travel Mole reported.

Strikes threaten Heathrow Airport operations over Easter

Something is rotten in the state of Brexit.

Following on the heels of a threatened strike at several passport offices, industrial action at Heathrow Airport is being planned for the Easter holiday period.

Travel Mole reports that security officers at the airport's Terminal 5 will strike over Easter as part of a pay dispute.

Union Unite said over 1,400 workers will strike for 10 days starting from March 31.

“Our members are simply unable to make ends meet due to the low wages paid by Heathrow,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said.

"They are being forced to take strike action due to need, not greed.

“Unite has a laser-like focus on prioritising the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and HAL needs to be in no doubt that the workers at the airport will receive the union’s unstinting support.”

Heathrow management says it has plans to mitigate any disruption

“Passengers can be reassured that we have contingency plans which will keep the airport open and operational,” it said in a statement.

The airport says it has offered a 10% increase in pay.

The airport strike follows news that 1,000 passport office workers are due to strike throughout April.

The PCS union said this strike action will likely to have a "significant impact" on new passport deliveries.