OK, my apologies, maybe some people within Aer Lingus can see the obvious as well. If that's the case, and they can see the damage that they are doing to their own futures, then why on earth do they use the strike threat to settle every issue? I'm not just talking about staff; the management are equally to blame.
Let me spell it out for anyone who can't see the blindingly obvious. Every time there is a threat of strike in AL, it does enormous damage to customer confidence and to revenues. Who in their right mind would book a flight with AL that was departing in the next six weeks? You might risk it if it wasn't important, and if it was cheap enough, but you just can't be sure that you will be able to travel. If you have business abroad, or you are thinking of coming home from the USA for Christmas for instance, why on earth would you risk booking an AL flight?
Badly run airlines working out of Dublin had an easy ride for the last few years. Passenger numbers were high, on the back of high consumer spending and a steady flow of emigrant workers. That is changing, and the last thing AL needs is to drive away its loyal customer base -- people like me who have flown with them even when they were screwing me back in the seventies on the London route. From my point of view, having lost a lot of money by having to hedge my position every time they settle petty grievances with the strike weapon, and having been driven to alternatives, I no longer go automatically to aerlingus.com for my tickets. I'm not likely to come back either, except when it suits me.
I can only assume that the previous poster has an interest either as a member of AL staff or some other close relationship with them. He is entitled to his opinions, but should also take note of the realities of working in a private company. AL is no longer the featherbedded monopoly that is once was, and staff have to wake up to that fact.
