Cork hoteliers concerned over impact of Aer Lingus dispute during summer season

CORK hoteliers have expressed their concerns over the impact that the ongoing Aer Lingus disputes will have on the busy tourism season.

Industrial action taken by the Irish Air Line Pilots Association in relation to increased pay commenced yesterday, with hundreds of flights cancelled by the airline.

Speaking to The Echo, owner and manager of the Gougane Barra Hotel, Neil Lucey, said that while the sector can pick up on domestic business, international tourism is the backbone of the summer period.

Vital

“That’s vital for the regional economy. Cancellations for us are higher than normal for July. That’s a big concern,” Mr Lucey said.

“The tourism business is volatile, and we’re reliant on Aer Lingus to bring people in. We need to get the show on the road, the Government will have to get at this fairly fast.

“It’s not just a hotel thing, it’s all the other tourism businesses too,” he added.

The general manager of the Kingsley Hotel, Fergal Harte, said: “We’re hopeful of an early resolution.

“We really are concerned about the potential impact of this [and] the trickle down effect it will have.

“We have experienced a few cancellations, but there isn’t a huge amount of them so far.

“We are worried about the summer though. Our hope is that this can be resolved as quickly as possible,” he added.

Serious risk

While only a small number of cancellations have been observed across the sector, the Irish Hotel Federation has warned that the disruptions pose a serious risk to hoteliers across the country.

“It is hugely disruptive for Irish tourism,” said the federation’s president, Michael Magner, who is the owner of Cork’s Vienna Woods Hotel.

“We are already seeing hotel cancellations as guests change their holiday plans, and there is a risk that this pattern of cancellations could escalate over the coming days.

“We are calling for a suspension of the industrial action and the threat of escalation, and for both sides to engage positively in the interests of passengers.

“Any further disruption risks significant damage to Irish tourism and must be avoided,” he added.

The managing director of the Blue Haven Collection and chairperson of the Cork branch of the federation, Ciarán Fitzgerald, said: “The potential knock-on impact is a serious concern at a very important time of year for hotels in Cork, and all over the country.

“While we have not had any cancellations yet as a business, we are hearing of low levels of cancellations within the sector.

“I hope both parties can come to a resolution soon, as it’s hugely disruptive and worrying for anyone travelling, and potentially very damaging to our international reputation tourism wise.”

Communication

Meanwhile, the managing director of Barter’s Travel, Tom Randles, said that while several of their clients have been impacted, Aer Lingus is maintaining a clear channel of communication with the industry during the work to rule dispute.

“We’ve had a number of clients affected by cancellations,” he said.

“We had a team in over the weekend readjusting holidays to alternative dates.

“They’re sorted now, we’re on top of it,” he added.

“Aer Lingus have given advance notice of cancellations, they have been very co-operative in assisting travel agents all the way through.

“It’s giving a bad impression to the public at large, and Aer Lingus are very conscious of that.”

A full list of impacted flights can be viewed on the Aer Lingus website https://www.aerlingus.com.