James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan. I would expect no less than a watching brief from my constituency colleague and will take on board the points that will be wisely made by him. I agree with his comments that this is critical, which is why I particularly welcome the intervention of the Labour Court, not just to hear the parties on request but to act on its own volition under the aforementioned section 26(5) procedure.

In terms of those affected, it is important to point out that EU Regulation EC 261/2004 ensures that when a flight is cancelled passengers have a right to compensation. They have a right to rerouting or refunding and, depending on the circumstances, to compensation. Airlines have an obligation to inform passengers of those rights. I understand that Aer Lingus has provided that information on the travel advisory page of its website. The Irish Aviation Authority is also providing advice and assistance but it should not come to that. Although those rights exist and are enshrined in law, including European law, that is actually cold comfort to someone who has a holiday booked or a flight booked and cannot travel. Again, I stress that there is a weight of expectation on the shoulders of the pilots and the airline to take very seriously the Labour Court recommendations, consider them and, hopefully, move forward with them.

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