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HOTELIERS HAVE WARNED that cancelled Aer Lingus flights may pose a “serious risk” to Ireland’s reputation as a tourist destination.
Around 35,000 passengers have been disrupted and over 240 flights have been cancelled in response to industrial action being taken by pilots.
The strike by the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) is the product of an ongoing pay dispute. Members gave notice to Aer Lingus last week that they would work to rule starting this Wednesday.
Michael Magner, President of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the subsequently cancelled flights are an “enormous concern” and that room bookings are already being cancelled as a result.
“There is enormous concern throughout our industry given how important Aer Lingus is for inbound visitors, particularly for transatlantic and long-haul flights.
“It is hugely disruptive and a dreadful outcome for Irish tourism, including for the many thousands of downstream hospitality businesses the length and breadth of the country that heavily rely on tourism during the peak holiday season.”
Hoteliers are calling for the suspension of industrial action and positive engagement from both sides, as “any further disruption risks significant damage to Irish tourism and must be avoided”.
Ryanair has added several flights to its schedule this weekend in response to the strike.
Aer Lingus today said it is possible customers will be informed of flight cancellations at the departure gate.
Over 10 Aer Lingus flights departing from Dublin to London Heathrow have been cancelled over Saturday and Sunday, and Ryanair is putting on an additional 6.45am flight to London Stansted on Saturday, and a 12.15pm flight to Stansted on Sunday.
Two Saturday flights a piece to Malaga and Faro airports departing from Dublin have also been cancelled by Aer Lingus, and Ryanair is putting on an additional flight to Malaga at 10.20am on Saturday, and an additional Faro flight at 6.15am on Sunday morning.
Ryanair said the airline is “working closely with Aer Lingus to accept some of their transfer passengers during the school holidays”, but noted that there is “very limited seat availability”.
IALPA voted to begin industrial action after rejecting a Labour Court recommendation that would have increased pay by 9.25%.
In 2023, Aer Lingus had a full year operating profit of €225 million.
This was a 400% increase on 2022, when a full year operating profit of €45 million was recorded.
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Mainstream for all deaf children is not the answer. There is specialised school such as st.josephs school and residence in cabra, on the same grounds where the new Deaf village is. Some Deaf children can realise their true potential among their peers.. If your child is isolated within their class, this is a valid option
Great..lump them all into the one place..out of sight..out of mind!,, what nonsense..there is a hearing problem in my family. We all went to mainstream education and all got good grades in the leaving. And all it took was some small tweaking with how we were thought. There is a stigma surrounding hearing, and much of it is unwarranted. Yes some profoundly deaf people may have learning problems that need more additional support than the support we got, but it doesn’t mean that they have so be excluded from society. Ive never heard of IDK before now, and i wish the all the success that they deserve. Great idea
School in cabra isnt great if you live well outside of dublin
Yeah the west too. It is boarding and free!. Both my parents went to the specialised schools and have a fantastic network of life long friends as a result. As I aid it is an option not a necessity. From my point of view the children are not lumped in. But nurtured and educated together. Isolation in a mainstream school happens in the school yard also.
One size does not fit all, in deaf education. Having multiple school placement options is vital, as some children thrive better in one setting than in another. Lifelong friends are also gained in mainstream school, as most past pupils from this environment will confirm. Everyone has a different start in life, and with varied education options, a child and their family are best placed to find the school to suit their needs. And importantly – schoolmates in a mainstream setting meet and interact with the deaf/hard of hearing student/s, which might otherwise not happen.
Many thanks to Michelle Hennessy and the Journal.ie for highlighting some of the issues in this piece.
Valid for people in the west too, yeah?
Isolation can happen in any setting even in special schools like the ones in Dublin. As Abi Dennis said above special schools are great but can be very isolating if you live outside of Dublin. Children were isolated from their families and their communities and in most cases learned to communicate in ISL where they could only communicate with other ISL users. In my own case my parents choose not to send me to Dublin from my home in Cork. They felt that Mainstream was the best option. And yes at times it was isolating and a bit lonely, but this can be the same for any deaf person. It can extend into third level and on into social lives and employment. And again this can effect all deaf people in some way. ISL is not always available to deaf people, they will not always be around other ISL users. It about educating our children, and I have a profoundly deaf child, to understand that they have to speak up for themselves and overcome this Isolation. They have to develop a strong voice to tell people how they are feeling isolated and what people can do to include them. This is the same for all deaf children and young adults. Its about empowerment
What?
Nice read! Such type of dearness awareness programs and seminars should be conducted s that people can know the facts regarding dearness. My small child is suffering from hearing loss so I always curious to attend these seminars where I come to know various useful information regarding hearing loss. Recently I attended a seminar conducted by Hidden Hearing in Ireland. In this seminar some hearing heath specialists shared their views and helpful information.
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