THERE were slight delays on a small number of Aer Lingus flights yesterday despite the resolution of the pilots' dispute with the company.
The Aer Lingus director of corporate affairs, Mr Dan Loughrey, said it would be some time before it was possible to assess the full losses resulting from the threatened strike. The action was called off four hours before it was due to begin at midnight on Sunday. The cost of lost business will only become clear over the next few weeks.
A clearer picture would have emerged regarding aircraft leased in to provide a contingency service if the strike had gone ahead. The Irish Airline Pilots' Association (IALPA) estimated it would cost Aer Lingus between £3 million and £4 million a week to provide an alternative.
The company has contested this figure but produced no alternative data. Mr Loughrey said negotiations with other airlines providing aircraft have to be completed.
Meanwhile, the Irish Travel Agents' Association has welcomed the lifting of the strike threat.
"We are delighted that common sense has prevailed," the president of the ITAA, Mr P.J. Brennan, said. "The threat of a strike which would have seriously inconvenienced the travelling public and caused undue hardship should not have been used."