Irish in Spain face Christmas flight chaos

THOUSANDS of Irish people living in Spain face flight chaos this Christmas as Ireland’s Aer Lingus airline threatens strike action.

Aer Lingus cabin crew may go on strike if demands for a five-day on, three-day off work roster are not met. Should the industrial action go ahead, Irish people hoping to return home from Spain for the Christmas season could face massive disruptions to their travel plans.

Staff at Aer Lingus are expected to back industrial action when a ballot result is announced next Monday. Management at the airline has accepted the five-day on, three-day off roster in principal, but the IMPACT trade union said it was necessary to refresh the ballot on strike action as details are being worked out, in case talks break down.

The head of the cabin crew branch committee, Angela McNeela, said that it was decided to refresh the cabin crew’s ballot in case of possible challenges from management. She said that if the ballot was passed and strike action was found necessary, the timing of the action would be decided by the committee and staff.

The row over rosters has already caused travel chaos, when Aer Lingus staff staged a one-day strike in May. The one-day action cost Aer Lingus around €10 million.