SPAIN: Airline passengers put up with strike at airport as cyclists stage a protest in support of the 24-hour stoppage

Record ID: 340707

  • Title: SPAIN: Airline passengers put up with strike at airport as cyclists stage a protest in support of the 24-hour stoppage
  • Date: 30th March 2012
  • Summary: (DAY SHOTS) VARIOUS OF AIRPORT BUS TAXI LEAVING AIRPORT VARIOUS OF CYCLIST PROTEST ARRIVING ATA ATOCHA STATION BIKES PASSING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JAVI, CYCLE DEMONSTRATOR, SAYING: "We are staging a bike ride to support the strike. This is a cyclist picket." CYCLISTS REPAIRING FLAT TIRE VARIOUS OF CYCLISTS GOING ONTO M30 HIGHWAY CYCLISTS WITH PLACARDS READING 'NO T
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain, Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Politics,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVAEI2LGW8PQ4QU7SS07P258WN3O
  • Story Text: Madrid 's Barajas airport continued its operations as normal despite a general strike on Thursday (March 29), airport operator AENA said.
    Some passengers reported they had difficulty getting to the airport as public transport is only operating minimum services.
    A passenger travelling from South America said there were problems with connecting flights.
    "I agree with the strike. For me it is fine but I don't agree with the fact that in Buenos Aires they allowed me to board the plane and now I have problems with the connecting flight here," the passenger said.
    Another passenger said she felt lucky she could catch the metro and get to the airport.
    "I'm travelling to Paris and I think we are very lucky because we managed to take the underground with normality but I think it was just luck," Andrea said.
    Elsewhere hundreds of cyclists took to the streets of the capital to express their solidarity with the strike called by Spain's two biggest unions.
    The cyclists rode their bikes past Madrid's Atocha station and then headed to the M30 highway, bringing traffic to a halt and promoting police to try to prevent the demonstration.
    Cyclists are not allowed on the highway. Some demonstrators were stopped by police and asked for identification. Others tried to avoid police by jumping over the barrier that separates the highway lanes.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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