Aer Lingus has this afternoon announced a number of flight cancellations and changes amid an escalating row with cabin crew over the implementation of new rosters.
The company said 32 members of cabin crew refused to operate the controversial new rosters. An airline spokesman said 20 cabin crew members have now been removed from the payroll.
Aer Lingus said at least 10 flights will be disrupted tomorrow. These include the EI 650/651 flight to Frankfurt and return, the EI 582/583 (Malaga and return), EI 594/595 (Madrid and return), EI 606/607 (Amsterdam and return), and EI 176/177 (Heathrow and return).
Today's EI 105 Dublin to New York flight was operated by an aircraft hired by Aer Lingus, with a delay of some three hours. The flight was originally due to depart at 10.45am. The EI 594 Dublin to Madrid and EI 595 Madrid to Dublin services will also be operated by a hired aircraft, although no delays are expected, the carrier said.
Elsewhere, the EI 125 Dublin to Chicago and EI 124 Chicago to Dublin flights have been cancelled, as has the EI 104 New York to Dublin flight.
Aer Lingus said passengers whose flights will be operated by hired aircraft have been informed via SMS and will receive a letter explaining details at the airport. Those who are booked on the cancelled flights are being told they will be rebooked on alternative flights.
The carrier said it regrets the cancellations of those flights and that the "sole responsibility" for them lies with the Impact union.
Impact has forecast that 44 members of cabin crew at Aer Lingus could be removed from the payroll by the end of the day as part of the row over the implementation of the new rosters at the airline. The union said 12 cabin crew staff were removed from the payroll and duties by the company last night.
In a statement Impact said that at the meetings with management each member of staff was reading a prepared statement setting out their position to the company.
"Management is demanding that they sign an undertaking to do anything management instruct them to do in the future. The staff are refusing to sign. The management are then telling them that they are being taken off duties/payroll. Therefore, a total of at least 44 cabin crew are expected to be off payroll today."
Aer Lingus last week warned that staff who refused to co-operate with new controversial new rosters would be sent home and removed from the pay roll.
Impact said today that eight cabin crew workers based in Dublin and a further four based in Cork were told by airline management yesterday they were being taken off duties because they took meal breaks after working for eight hours.
The Dublin based crew had worked on a series of flights between the capital and Hamburg while the Cork based crew had worked on a number of flights to and from London. None of the flights involved experienced delays or disruption.
Yesterday, Aer Lingus cancelled a return service to Boston following what it said was the refusal of cabin crew represented by Impact to operate the flights under the new roster system.