Pilots have landed a pay deal at Aer Lingus as the sector faces into a series of challenges. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
All trends show holidaymakers holding out for cheaper prices than last year. Six months ago airlines expected reasonable fare increases. Against that background Aer Lingus faces increased competition on transatlantic routes, ongoing rivalry with Ryanair in Europe and the Dublin Airport cap among other problems.
The rest will be paid through to the end of July 2026, along with increased allowances. Capt Mark Tighe, Ialpa’s president, calculates that members will be 19.2 per cent better off as a consequence. He called it the best pay award achieved in 30 years, vindicating industrial action that the union president told members was only necessary because of “management intransigence”.Aer Lingus will argue that it got something too.