There were further Aer Lingus flights from the U.S. to Dublin cancelled at the weekend.
On Sunday, July 24, flights from Washington, Philadelphia and New York were all cancelled, as was a flight on Monday, again from New York’s JFK to Dublin.
The disruption since the start of the month has been blamed on industrial action across Europe as well as staff illness.
The airline’s management are due to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer – who sits on the Transport Committee – called on Aer Lingus to give answers to passengers who have been let down by the cancelled flights.
“Aer Lingus management have finally agreed to come before the Oireachtas Transport Committee this week and we will be looking for answers on behalf of the thousands of passengers let down by cancelled flights in recent weeks,” he said.
“We will also be seeking reassurances from the airline for all the people planning to travel in the coming weeks and months.
“Too many passengers have been left stranded with numerous flights cancelled almost every day this summer. Only this weekend, we now learn of further cancellations on transatlantic and European routes disrupting the travel plans of even more passengers.
“I know that the recent Covid surge has caused staffing difficulties for many airlines, but we really need to hear from Aer Lingus what they’re doing to address this ongoing problem.
Senator Buttimer said that the Dublin Airport Authority has been working “extremely hard” in recent weeks to correct the problems experienced at the airport.
“Aer Lingus needs to play its part in ensuring scheduled flights depart and arrive when they are supposed to,” he said.
“We simply cannot afford any further reputational damage to the Irish aviation industry at this point. And hard-pressed families who have saved to go on holidays, visit loved ones abroad, or travel for work, need to be able to rely on their airline.”
Aer Lingus has apologized to customers affected and offered them other options “including rebooking or refund."
