Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My comments today and prior to this meeting did not arise from a desire to get cheap headlines but were born out of frustration and experiences in real time of family members, friends and customers of all those in this room. I will begin with an example. I received a letter this week from a person who said that their family, ten people in total, were to fly from Dublin to Faroe yesterday, 23 July at 7.45 a.m.

They arrived at the airport at 2 a.m. and checked in their luggage. At 7.30 a.m., they were informed that the flight was delayed for technical reasons. At 8.30 a.m., they were told the flight was delayed due to technical issues. At 9 a.m., they were sent to a different gate and told to wait for further updates. At 11 a.m., four members of the group were called up to the gate and given new boarding passes. On speaking to a staff member, the lead traveller managed to get on the flight to Portugal. The context of this email is that this left a member of the travelling public distraught and upset. I am a supporter of Aer Lingus and to be fair to the staff of the airline, they deserve huge credit and praise. However, the point I find most upsetting is this traveller reports that the staff could not have been ruder or more nonchalant.

I am not here to beat anybody up. I am a former chairman of an Oireachtas committee so I understand the Chairman’s job and our job. However, we have had a summer of discontent. Has any of the witnesses in this room spoken to, met with or called a member of the travelling public who has been discommoded?