Passengers ‘pawns’ in airline dispute

AER LINGUS employs just over 1,200 cabin crew, significantly less than the total number of passengers yesterday left without flights because the airline is once again at war with its staff.

To most it would seem farcical that a dispute over rosters — in which, lest we forget, both sides are in agreement on the number of hours to be worked — could inconvenience such a large number of passengers, a number that will only rise as more staff are removed from duty by management.

But this is Aer Lingus. When it comes to staff relations, the airline’s track record shows it is the master of farcical.