SPAIN: Pilots at Iberian airlines go on strike affecting flights and travellers for second time in a month

Record ID: 340602

  • Title: SPAIN: Pilots at Iberian airlines go on strike affecting flights and travellers for second time in a month
  • Date: 30th December 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PASSENGER AFFECTED BY STRIKE, LETIZIA, SAYING: "This isn't fair, I am not here to miss a flight after an 11 -hour flight all the way from Montevideo with a little girl. I don't care if they want to strike. Let them strike but on top of that they shouldn't get 'offended' (when one complains), because they always get what they want at our expense." VARI
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain, Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Business,Employment,Travel / Tourism,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA3JEJES1G8JK64AVB1GPGJ1PGH
  • Story Text: Pilots of the Spanish airline Iberia went on strike for a second day on Thursday (December 29) in protest over the company's launch of low-cost airline Iberia Express.
    Run by the International Airlines Group (IAG), Iberia Express is due to operate next year and has been created to improve competitiveness against no-frills rivals such as easyJet and Ryanair.
    Pilots say the new service threatens their jobs and working conditions, claims IAG denies.
    Some 118 flights were cancelled on Thursday, causing disruptions for a number of passengers.
    "This isn't fair, I am not here to miss a flight after an 11 hour flight all the way from Montevideo with a little girl. I don't care if they want to strike. Let them strike but on top of that they
    shouldn't get 'offended' (when one complains), because they always get what they want at our expense," one passenger, Letizia, said, angrily.
    Other passengers were more fortunate and were still scheduled to fly out.
    Information on cancellations has been made available to passengers on the Iberia website and Facebook page.
    The company has also tried to minimise disruptions by rebooking passengers on alternative airlines.
    "We called the travel agency 24 hours before our flight and they told us our plane was not on the list of cancelled flights, so that's how we found out and we are at the customer service desk
    to pay for overweight, but our suitcases have been checked in," said Alejandra, who was flying to Ecuador.
    Earlier this month on December 18 pilots held their first strike and warned it would happen again if IAG did not negotiate.
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