Airline passengers: be aware of your rights

THE European Commission has issued advice on entitlements to more than 30,000 passengers whose Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled due to strike action by pilots next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The airline has hired eight aircraft to carry 8,000 passengers on routes from Dublin to Heathrow, Manchester, Amsterdam, Malaga and Faro. There will also be limited operations from Cork and Heathrow. The strike by the 480 Aer Lingus pilots has been initiated by the Irish Airline Pilots Association because of company policy that workers at the new Belfast base will be subject to local terms and conditions which the union claims are inferior to those enjoyed by workers in the Republic.

In a statement issued yesterday, the European Commission said passengers who were due to fly on Tuesday and Wednesday should be aware of their rights as passengers.