Ryanair pilots considering strike this summer, potentially affecting flights

A decision will be made at the beginning of July.

A deadline for a ballot by Ryanair pilots based in Ireland to decide whether or not to take strike action has been extended. The decision was made to allow members additional opportunity to cast their votes on the course of action. According to RTÉ, the ballot was due to be finish at midday on Tuesday but has since been extended until 3 July following an appeal by the Irish Airline Pilots Association's (IALPA) Ryanair Company Council to the IALPA. The ballot comes following Ryanair's decision in December to recognise pilot unions at its bases across Europe following the threat of strike action in the run up to Christmas. Pilots and unions are said to be frustrated at the speed of negotiations between the the two parties. Irish-based Ryanair pilots want more transparent procedures,  they also want seniority to determine a number of factors like; who gets leave in high demand times like school holidays, who gets offered opportunities for promotions, and who is allowed transfers between Ryanair bases. They claim that this is the policy in other airlines. Ryanair have been in the news recently as they called on a ban on alcohol sales in airports before 10am following an incident on a flight from Dublin to Ibiza over the weekend. The plane, bound for Ibiza, was forced to divert to Paris after the passengers in question reportedly became unruly in an alcohol-related altercation. One of three men removed from a Ryanair flight during an incident on Saturday morning has given his account of the experience, criticising the airline for their "overreaction."