Aer Lingus Flight Crew Industrial relations thread 2024

I'm flying a first leg with them on Monday, on the way to Heathrow for a longer flight with BA to Las Vegas for work :( Any idea when/where they will announce the list of flights cancelled on Monday, no sign of it yet as far as I can see.

is there no way you could get the DuB—LHR leg changed to BA metal? I usually find it easier to arrive and change in T5 rather than doing the T5-T2 shuffle in any event.

It is bizarre they keep wheeling out Moriarty with his inflammatory language, if this isn't a time for Lynn to show up, then when is? Does she even exist? Or is it Luis in a wig performing death by 1000 cuts to the PaxEx?

Is there something wrong with that, in your opinion, if he is ?

My take on his contribution this morning would be that the figures he outlined would suggest that to concede

what the pilots are asking for would be extremely detrimental to the airline.

Why run your business over a cliff like lemmings if the figures tell you that's what will happen?

Thats how it seems to me anyway.

They're up there now

So Wille Walsh says that if they give increases it would be detrimental to the airline? But there was no issue giving substantial pay rises to senior management?

"Total executive pay to all Aer Lingus executive management, directors and non-executive directors rose to €6.2m from €3m, the accounts show. That includes payments to a total of 12 executives at the carrier, it is understood." - Indo

Not so long ago, we were all raving about the Staycation and how great Ireland can be for holidays etc.

How quickly we forgot….

A lot of middle and senior EI managers are lifer's, those who have worked their way up over the years and decades.

Are you suggesting that if flight crew get the proposed salary increases as is, that this will harm EI?

But not hiring enough staff to cover everything (and ending up in the current situation) will not harm the airline?

What year was the last big strike ? I have vague memories of Monarch operating a lot of flights it was winter season I think so probably easier to hire in.

According to the indo article theres 12 of them on 6 million or 500k each average,an industry norm I would suggest for high turn over business's

Deviating from the industry norm in staff pay and fuel costs would ultimately be fatal at least for job security in EI,if not for EI itself

Thats what I am suggesting and pretty much Willie Walshes point on Morning Ireland this morning

@Brendan Bendar It’s been referenced here about others in the IAG group receiving more than what the EI pilots are asking for. But let’s pre empt the rebuttal of BA being massive and IB being a different market (both fair points too tbf) and move away from airlines in the same group

LH in 2022 got an 18% increase over 3 years, or 6% per year, more anually than EI are looking for

VS rejected a 29% pay offer, a smaller less profitable airline who compete with EI on a number of TA routes who want more

U2 pilots got 30%. Now they don’t compete per se but operate in the same market

And the closest direct competitor

FR got between 15% and 18% in the last year or so, and they don’t even have a union!

He hheh All those thrived and are doing well now are they ?

Oh dear!

I didn't … my apologies, should have seen it.

Nice post.

5 on 4 off is what your referencing?!? Yeah I don’t know Ryanair terms as I’ve managed to just prove 😂😂😂

BA took over that route from bmi and you can still get those seats and the curtain if you want it.

Im a

I'd feel slightly more sympathy for EI pilots if the terms of the job were similar to other carriers.

But it has to be said, seeking the wage increase they are, but forgetting the massive benefits of a 22% annual employer contribution to a Defined Benefit pension. As well as 44 days annual leave compared to 28 for Ryanair.

I don't mean to offend anyone and always support workers right to action.

But, loses a bit of legitimacy for me when some amazing benefits are left out and it's a slightly different narrative. I don't begrudge them those benefits. But let's at least acknowledge they exist and are of a higher standard than other airlines.

Taking the package in it's entirety, combined with the offer that was on the table, I don't think it's an unfair deal. If they wanted 25% pay increase, fine, but something has to give on those pension and annual leave terms.

Willie Walsh is scaremongering on behalf of his buddies in Aer Lingus. Forecast profits over the next few years are beyond 2018 and 2019 levels. This pay claim would absolutely not destroy Aer Lingus. Can anyone justify Willie's claims? EI make hundreds of millions in profit typically. At the high end of EI managements own estimates this pay claim would cost €40m. I think IALPA dispute that it's that much, but even if it's accurate, the company will still be making hundreds of millions of Euro in profit annually. To say it would ruin them is simply not credible. It's plain to see they can quite comfortably afford this pay claim.

Worth noting Aer Lingus spent over €25m hiring airplanes during 2023, most due to a lack of pilots and engineers. That money would have gone an awful long way to sorting out this pay claim. It could also have pushed their margin above BAs. So for all the posters who think the BA pilot deal is not a fair comparison because of the difference in the scale of the companies; if EI weren't being so mismanaged it would have outperformed them. Do you think the EI pilots would be justified in their claim if that money had gone into the profits instead of to Privilege Style's bottom line?

Most companies have closed off DB pensions to new entrants or completely closed them down. And existing members and new entrants on a DC scheme. Even Irelands biggest pensions provider have closed down their DB scheme. Just had a nosey on Pilot recruitment company puts in 21% which is extremely generous and the members put in 11%.

No where does it say the scheme is DB