Iberia Pilots’ Strike Forces Flight Cancellations; Two More Strike Dates Set
By James Shillinglaw
February 20, 2012 9:53 PM
A strike by Iberia’s pilots forced the Spanish carrier to cancel 121 flights on Monday, Feb. 20. The pilots’ action was the 10th stoppage in two months as part of the union’s efforts to protest the creation of a low-cost branch. Additional labor actions are scheduled to take place on Feb. 24 and Feb. 29 as part of a total of five strike days during the month.
Iberia’s pilots, who are members of the Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (SEPLA), last week said they would extend the protests against the creation of Iberia Express, a low-cost division of Iberia that is scheduled to start flying on March 25. Iberia said it is making every effort to provide assistance to passengers to make alternative travel arrangements. “At the moment, we are proceeding to cancel flights and looking for alternatives for each customer who had a reservation on these flights,” Iberia said. The airline also posted a list of flights it would cancel on Feb. 24 and Feb 29, as well procedures to rebook.



