Aer Lingus has refused to state how much it has spent on hiring in planes and crews to operate its schedule during the cabin crew dispute.
The cabin crew union IMPACT has claimed the cost could exceed €400,000 a day - and could be even more if planes and crews were hired to operate transatlantic flights.
A spokesperson for the airline would say only that the cost of lost bookings from cancelled flights would far outweigh the cost of hiring in planes.
More than 175 of Aer Lingus's 1,050 cabin crew in the Republic have now been removed from the payroll for refusing to operate new rosters introduced last Monday without union agreement.
Aer Lingus says it is continuing to operate a full schedule, but the cabin crew union IMPACT called on Aer Lingus to reveal how much it is costing to hire in planes and crews while Aer Lingus planes lie idle.
Last week, Aer Lingus confirmed it had hired in nine planes, including four from Ryanair. Today, Aer Lingus would not say how many planes have now been hired in, nor would it comment on the cost.
Meanwhile disciplinary processes which could result in staff being sacked will get underway from tomorrow.
