One More Thing:It has been a good week for Aer Lingus and Dermot Mannion. In the wee hours of Monday morning it emerged that the airline had successfully stared down the pilots and got a key element of its €20 million cost-cutting PCI-07 programme through.
It's now all systems go for its new Belfast base.
On Wednesday, the airline told the market that it would pocket €11.3 million from the sale of its 20 per cent stake in Spanish charter airline Futura. It can add this to its €400 million-plus cash pile from the flotation.
However, some tough battles still lie ahead. Siptu, which represents baggage handlers and other ground staff at the airline, has yet to agree a deal under PCI-07.
Siptu says some of its workers will lose up to €4,500 from their annual earnings and will have their holiday leave reduced.
About 45 of its members will also face job losses as a result of Aer Lingus's Shannon decision.
Talks between Aer Lingus and Siptu have reached stalemate and relations are strained.
Mannion calculated correctly that there would be little public sympathy for his well-paid pilots if they went on strike. He took a tough line that yielded a result.
Siptu president Jack O'Connor and national industrial secretary Michael Halpenny will not roll over quite as easily. It could be a long, cold winter for the airline.
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