The great majority of Aer Lingus staff (other than pilots) are members of the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (“IASS”). This pension scheme is unusual for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it is a multi-employer scheme, with the principal other employers being the Dublin Airport Authority (“DAA”) and Shannon Airport Authority (“SAA”).
Secondly, the contribution rate is fixed and cannot be changed without the agreement of employer and employee. For this reason, from the employer’s perspective, it is a defined contribution scheme. However, under the trust deed and rules, the pension scheme targets benefits linked to final salary and length of service. The funding rate and investment performance is inadequate to support these target benefits and, as a result, a substantial deficit has arisen in the scheme. On 31 December 2013, this deficit was estimated by the scheme actuary to be some €715 million on the minimum funding standard basis. Mathematically, approximately 65% of the schemes liabilities are associated with current or former members of Aer Lingus staff.