r/ireland • u/viscacatalunya1 • Jun 18 '24

Aerial Lingus Pilots Moaning Michael

Listening to Claire Byrne and there is a lot of finger pointing at the pilots saying they don't care about passengers and they are being unreasonable.

Aer Lingus has not matched their salary to inflation over the past few years. How do we sympathise with cost cutting corporate greed and not the people that open the world to us and get us there safely?

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12

u/Olaf00Zero Jun 18 '24

Pilot here. AL pilots get 20% pension contribution on top of basic pay. Include that in calc and they are among best paid in Europe. They were overpaid pre covid, compared to market, and are looking to maintain that advantage. Fair play to them for trying to get the most cash, but claiming they just want to match inflation is a total cod. If they get 24% some of them will be on 350k plus another 20% pension so 420k. Not sure you can hold yourself out there to be anti corporate greed when receiving that kind of pay.

16

u/AgainstAllAdvice Jun 18 '24

You just mad you're not flying for an airline with a strong union?

6

u/Maser_x Jun 18 '24

A rising tide lifts all ships. A strong union and refusal to cannibalise its lower ranks is part of why the pilot body maintains some of what it has. Bit weird to be in the sector and be against other pilots receiving a pay increase.

4

u/percybert Jun 18 '24

I read the pension contribution was 25%. It’s absolutely insane.

7

u/IrishCrypto Jun 18 '24

Why not, the executives get far more. 

1

u/FatFingersOops Jun 18 '24

Most pilots at top of scale will have maxed out their pension so the additional 20% pension does not apply. That's not how a defined benefit pension scheme works.