City Council tries to recoup cost of Mayor’s NYC flights

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Complaints about airlines have soared during the coronavirus pandemic. In April, the Irish Times reported that the Commission for Aviation Regulation was receiving around 200 complaints every day.

They mostly related to the refusal of airlines to offer refunds for flights that were cancelled due to Covid-19.

Despite being obliged to refund, airlines were instead offering vouchers and credit notes as they faced a cash shortfall and existential crisis.

If you’re one of the thousands of customers awaiting a refund, you’re in good company – so, too, is Galway City Council, which is awaiting a refund on flights for Mayor of Galway, Mike Cubbard.

Mayor Mike, his wife Karen and four close family members were due to fly to Seattle in March.

In keeping with a recent annual tradition, the First Citizen was invited to be part of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, in Seattle, a sister city of Galway. Mayor Mike was then due to travel onwards to New York for official engagements with Galway Diaspora in the Big Apple.

Director of Services, Tom Connell was scheduled to accompany him, representing Council management.

Then Covid-19 happened and the trip didn’t proceed.

Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the City Council has confirmed that the money it spent to book flights for the trips has not yet been recouped.

Invoices show that flights for the First Citizen, his wife and four family members from Dublin to Seattle, and returning to Dublin via New York JFK Kennedy International cost €4,017.83. They were scheduled to travel economy class.

A Council spokesperson said that while the booking was made collectively, and the Mayor and his wife’s costs were covered by the local authority, the four other family members were flying at their own expense.
For more Bradley Bytes, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.