Aer Lingus’s Manchester Airport base is “not performing” at a level that makes it attractive for further investment, the group’s chief executive Lynne Embleton said, as the airline braces itself for further strike action from cabin crew based there.
The Irish carrier’s UK operation flies between Manchester and American destinations including New York and Boston, as well as Bridgetown in Barbados.
Cabin crew based at the British hub held a four-day strike over pay last month that hit 18 flights and an estimated 4,000 passengers.
Trade union Unite has told Aer Lingus that staff plan further stoppages between November 9th and November 18th. Crews will walk out between the 9th and the 11th, on the 14th and from the 16th to the 18th, Unite confirmed.
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It is understood that those strikes will hit around 7,500 passengers on flights between Manchester and New York, Florida and Barbados.
Speaking after the airline published third quarter results on Friday that showed operating profit jumped by 22 per cent to €170 million, Ms Embleton said the base was simply not performing at a level to justify further investment.
“The base is performing lower than elsewhere in Aer Lingus, and Aer Lingus is performing lower than elsewhere in IAG, so it’s not performing at a level that makes it attractive for investment,” she told The Irish Times.
“We’ve had several days of industrial action so far. We’ve managed through the strike. We’ve reaccommodated more than 90 per cent of passengers. Some have taken refunds but most have taken alternative flights we’ve made available for them.
“There are more strike dates planned. I think the key thing here is we’ve benchmarked pay,” she said. “We’ve put forward an offer that is fair and competitive, and which we reached agreement with Unite on two separate occasions. Unite recommended it: their members rejected it.
“Manchester has to be cost competitive. The airline needs to be cost competitive and it needs to perform financially to justify the asset allocation. So this is something that we’re taking seriously.”
Around 130 airline staff voted to strike last month after rejecting management’s offer of a 12 per cent pay increase and a $15 boost (€13) to their US overnight allowance, bringing it to $130.
The basic pay of the Manchester-based cabin crew and the overnight allowance would still lag Irish crews’ earnings had they accepted the deal, according to Unite.
Irish crew’s basic salaries start at €29,833.26 a year while their UK counterparts start at £17,640.25 (€20,020). Unite said Irish staff get $171 a night for all US destinations while UK crew receive $111 for Orlando and $115 for New York.
Unite maintains that its members in Aer Lingus UK struggle to pay rent and have to take on second jobs to afford essentials.
