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[Article] Aer Lingus in moves to resume flight schedule

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  • 03-01-2005 7:26pm
    #1
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,308 ✭✭✭✭


    http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0103/aerlingus.html
    Aer Lingus in moves to resume flight schedule
    03 January 2005 15:12

    Aer Lingus is making efforts to accommodate passengers following weekend cancellations over the damage caused to two of its planes during a Saturday's freak squall.

    Today's EI 125 flight to Chicago is the seventh Aer Lingus flight to be cancelled since the incident.

    The State airline has said all passengers on flights to New York which were cancelled yesterday and Saturday will be accommodated today.

    It further said that passengers due to travel on today's cancelled flight from Shannon to Chicago will be accommodated tomorrow.

    Aer Lingus says its full transatlantic service will resume tomorrow.

    A hire-in aircraft is due to leave Shannon for New York at 12.15pm today and most passengers from yesterday and Saturday's cancelled Shannon/ New York flights will travel on this.


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    #2
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,308 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/4781939?view=Eircomnet
    Flights chaos as walk-out and collision hit schedules
    From:The Irish Independent
    Monday, 3rd January, 2005

    THE travel plans of thousands of people were in tatters today after a weekend of chaos involving Aer Lingus flights.

    One of the airline's planes which was delayed in Dublin airport due to unofficial strike action by workers in Shannon was damaged when it collided with another aircraft on Saturday.

    More than 1,200 passengers had been affected by subsequent flight cancellations as Aer Lingus struggled last night to hire replacement aircraft. And the knock-on effects could last to the end of the week.

    Two flights due to carry 300 people each to Boston and New York via Shannon were cancelled on Saturday while four scheduled flights between Ireland and the US were cancelled yesterday by the airline.

    Although passengers were being told that they would be in a position to depart today, there were complaints from many last night that they were being kept in the dark.

    Some passengers were told that it could be as late as Thursday before they will be able to leave on a new Aer Lingus flight.

    Accommodation was being provided by the airline in hotels in Shannon and Dublin last night.

    The four cancelled flights yesterday were the EI 111 from Shannon to New York and the EI 110 return leg, the EI 109 Dublin to New York service and the EI 108 return flight.

    An Aer Lingus spokesperson admitted there had been a knock-on effect from the collision involving the two aircraft in Dublin on Saturday.

    Both planes were grounded and were being inspected.

    Both A330 Aibuses had been securely parked when strong winds caused the nose of one to collide with the wing of the other.

    One of the damaged aircraft had been due to travel to the US via Shannon but was delayed at Dublin because of unofficial strike action at Shannon. Aer Lingus staff walked away from their posts when the airline cut the check-in desks from 12 to 10.

    Although plans for the closures had been the subject of discussions between SIPTU and airline management last week, the move came as a surprise on Saturday and is expected to be the subject of further talks this week.

    A company spokesperson also rejected suggestions that the Aer Lingus decision to close the check-in desks was "ill-timed".

    According to the airline: "The company has been involved in a process with the unions, and staff at Shannon were aware of plans to close the two desks from December 31."

    The airline denied it "provoked" check-in staff into walking out. The walk-out by check-in staff at Shannon lasted from 10.30am until 1pm on Saturday afternoon. In the wake of the initial cancellations, hundreds of passengers due to leave Dublin for the United States on Saturday departed for New York on Sunday morning.

    However, a number of passengers who were due to board in Shannon were still being accommodated in the region last night.

    Aer Lingus confirmed last night that one of its flights today, EI125 from Shannon via Dublin to Chicago, has been cancelled. Passengers affected will be accommodated on flights tomorrow.

    Ben Quinn, Eugene Moloney and Pat Flynn


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