Aer Lingus has canceled three return flights to Ireland today due to what it calls a “spike” in Covid cases among its staff – while a further fourth departure flight has also been withdrawn.
The airline canceled its return flight from Boston to Dublin at 6:00 AM (EI134) to Shannon Airport, along with the flight from Hamburg to Dublin at 11:50 AM (EI393) and the flight at 11:15 PM from Berlin to Dublin Airport (EI337). ).
These flights were all affected by staff shortages due to the virus.
However, the disruption also affected a fourth flight from Dublin to Berlin.
The EI336 from Berlin to Dublin at 5:55 PM has also been cancelled.
The airline has also admitted that further cancellations could occur due to “crew illness”, but that it would “try to accommodate passengers” on the next available flights.
However, members of the public have complained to Independent.ie that they have not been able to wait days to catch new flights due to work and other commitments.
An Aer Lingus spokesperson told Independent.ie: “Due to a spike in Covid cases, Aer Lingus was forced to cancel three return flights today, Tuesday 28 June.
“In any case, our teams are working on alternative travel options for customers and would like to apologize to those affected for the inconvenience.”
It said it shared details about the rights of customers and the obligations of the airlines under Regulation (EC) 261/2004
“If due to illness the crew has to cancel additional flights in the coming days, we will try to reaccommodate passengers as efficiently as possible on the next available services.”
The spokesperson added: “In terms of refunds, passengers whose flights have been canceled can request a refund or a voucher for future travel by completing a Post Travel Inquiry Form. For full information on passenger rights and our obligations under Regulation (EC) 261/2004, please follow this link www.aerlingus.com/support/legal/regulation/.”
Meanwhile, a Ryanair spokesperson said there are “some minor delays” in the schedule due to air traffic control staff shortages, “which are completely beyond Ryanair’s control”.