Outrage over return date of Loganair's connection between islands and Inverness Airport after strike action is called off
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LOGANAIR's decision to resume flight connections between Inverness and the islands in April is an "appalling betrayal" of the communities they serve according to a local MSP.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant expressed her fury that Loganair would be unable to re-instate flights for a further month despite the recent resolution of trade Union action between HIAL and its staff.
The company has resumed Highland flights after a HIAL pay dispute was settled earlier this week. However, passengers will have to wait until April 24 to see the return of normal services from Inverness to Benbecula, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh.
Mrs Grant said: “Requiring “lead in” time for customers to re-book their flights is an abysmal excuse. Loganair wouldn’t need lead in time if it hadn’t cancelled on its already booked customers to begin with.
“Strike action is often averted at the last moment, and all the cancellation of these flights has achieved is to put unnecessary pressure on communities which desperately needed them. If Loganair had a problem with the proposed collective action, then it should have brought its pressure down on HIAL as its service provider, not islanders who form its business base."
The airline suspended flights as unions at HIAL airports announced a period of industrial action short of a strike between March 17 and April 30.
Mrs Grant added: “Islanders already pay one of the highest fares per mile of anywhere in the world. To then have these flights, including those for medical appointments, work appointments and long awaited family holidays swept away at a moment’s notice because another company’s staff are working to their contracted terms and conditions beggar’s belief.
“It was an appalling business decision and an appalling betrayal of the communities which Loganair serves and has to call into question why these flights are not under a PSO.”
Loganair said they continue to offer services on all other routes to Benbecula, Kirkwall, Stornoway and Sumburgh, including the inter-isles air service between Benbecula and Stornoway”
Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s chief executive, said: “The decision by Loganair to temporarily suspend these routes was taken with the best of reasons, and it’s unfortunate that Rhoda Grant MSP hasn’t taken either the time or effort to understand that before launching into the realms of soundbite politics.
“We’re looking forward to resuming our Inverness-Stornoway flights on 24 April now that the industrial action has been settled.
“In the meantime, we have not a single customer booked to travel between Inverness and Stornoway until that date and if flights resumed tomorrow, there would be no-one booked on them – it’s as simple as that.”
