Aer Lingus says it will appoint a facilitator to oversee discussions on the implementation of the airline's business plan by Friday this week.
It says airline and union representatives have agreed to take part in facilitated talks which should be over by the middle of October.
Aer Lingus does not want to move the September 14 date for application for voluntary redundancy, but that is expected to be the first item on the agenda.
SIPTU's national industrial secretary Michael Halpenny said: 'Using an agreed facilitator gives us an opportunity to move our discussions forward in a constructive way.'
The talks aimed at settling the dispute over restructuring began last Friday at Dublin Airport. The Aer Lingus board wants 1,325 people to apply for voluntary redundancies by September 14.
Unions SIPTU and IMPACT are concerned about future pay and working conditions for those who choose to stay on.
