Iberia Announces New Pilots’ Strikes
January 5th, 2012
Iberia airlines are to cancel a total of 266 flights, including 19 long-haul flights and 84 connections between the airports of Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, between 8th and 11th January, in two new days of pilots’ strikes, the airline announced on Wednesday.
Specifically, the international long-haul flights which will be affected are those connecting Madrid-Barajas with Miami, Bogota, Lima, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Mexico. Also affected will be flights to Lisbon, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Frankfurt, Milan, Venice, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Zurich, Rome and Casablanca.
Among the national routes affected will be the cancellation of 84 Puente Aéreo flights, as well as connections to Seville, Jerez, Malaga, Bilbao, A Coruña, Asturias, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo, Europa Press reported.
The company has adjusted its rates to facilitate the exchange or refund to customers affected by these cancellations, and are looking for alternative flights with Iberia as well as other companies with which they have reached agreements.
Iberia said that the dates of the strikes – 9th and 11th January – match “the return of thousands of people from holiday,” which is “an added difficulty” when trying to provide “acceptable alternatives”. However, they assured that they “will do everything possible to achieve this”, as they did during the strikes of 18th and 29th December.
On that occasion, the airline had to cancel a total of 218 flights in the two days, affecting some 22,000 passengers. To mitigate its effects, the airline launched a contingency plan, which included agreements with other companies to provide travel options, and making available 9,000 hotel rooms in Madrid and its surrounding areas, which in the end were not needed.
Iberia customers who purchased their tickets through www.iberia.com will receive a message about their particular flight and alternative travel options, where feasible, which they can agree and finalise via the website.
As in December, Iberia has set up a phone line to attend to passengers (902 100 988 in Spain), in order to facilitate any changes to their travel arrangements. Those who do not wish to fly can arrange a full refund through the airline’s website.
Passengers who have made their bookings through a travel agent should contact them so they can make any necessary refunds or changes to their tickets, and to expedite the paperwork.
Iberia provides information on its website, Serviberia and via the airline’s call centres, in addition to their profiles on Facebook and Twitter, customer service points in over 100 airports where they operate and travel agencies.
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