Editorial: It is unfair to hold the public to ransom in Aer Lingus dispute

And in the standoff between Aer Lingus and the airline’s pilots who have voted to start a strict work-to-rule from next Wednesday, the French philosopher may have a point.

As attitudes harden, the public is caught in an agonising limbo. Families’ cherished year-long holiday hopes, along with business plans, are left hanging literally in the air.

Last month the Labour Court noted that the gap between the sides was “significant”. Now, as we enter the peak summer months, when as many as 40,000 passengers pass through Dublin Airport daily, intolerable uncertainty hangs over travel arrangements.

Whether the pilots ought to be paid an increase of 23.8pc as they demand or whether the profitable airline is right to resist is not the issue as far as the public is concerned.

The point is that travellers have a right to expect when they pay for a service that those responsible for operating it, at every level, will meet their obligations. If the industrial action goes ahead, pilots may refuse to work overtime, or carry out other out-of-hours duties.

They will also refuse to access electronic crew portals or answer work phone calls outside of work hours.

As this is high season, should there be any flight delay, a pilot may well find themselves having to work past the end of their shift. ​

Should they fail to comply with this it could result in a cancellation and the rolling disruption that would follow for timetables and take-offs.

Given that the possible work-to-rule is planned “indefinitely”, contingency planning is extremely difficult. There are ample industrial mechanisms and arbitrators capable of managing such negotiations to avoid a showdown in which people are held to ransom until one side blinks.

Already the dispute is costing the airline considerably as passengers nervous about whether they will be able to fly with the national carrier switch to another.

This risks reputational damage to the brand in an industry where reliability is critical.

It also dents public trust and confidence.

Head of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, has appealed to all parties to go back to the Workplace Relations Commission.

“A visitor to Ireland can equally choose Scotland or the Scandinavian countries. That’s the real danger,” he told RTÉ. Irish Travel Agents Association CEO Clare Dunne was also fearful the travelling public would be the victims.

“Passengers have paid a lot of money and, for many, this is their one chance to go away and get a break,” she said.

The entire tourism sector, which depends on these “golden months” to sustain it through the year, will suffer. With so much at stake, it seems extraordinary further talks can not be held for several days. Any notion that conciliation is capitulation needs to be set aside.