BARCELONA
short flights long nights
Thread Starter
Barcelona Today (28/07)
Can anyone shed any light on what was happening at BCN today. Just had a call from Crewing, taking me off my evening BCN flight. They said because of the "situation" in BCN, Operations had decided to cancel or long term delay the flight. Whats going on down there?
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Ground handlers went on unofficial strike at 9am this morning, unannounced. People, gnd handling eqpt and buses milling around on the runway. Impressive pictures in the Spanish media. Serious chaos. All aircraft inbound BCN this morning diverted. Bad news all round for everyone.
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BARCELONA
THOUSANDS of Britons are suffering disruption to their holidays and business trips today due to a strike by Iberia ground staff at Barcelona's main El Prat airport.
Oil was spread on the runway and set alight by the strikers this afternoon as the dispute escalated. All flights in and out of the aiport had already been cancelled since 9am until 5pm (4pm BST) although the knock-on effects are expected to last the rest of the day
An estimated 10,000 Britons fly into and out of Barcelona every day on 70 flights from UK airports. Ryanair flies into Girona, 40 miles from Barcelona.
A spokesman for Iberia at its headquarters in Madrid described it as a "chaotic situation" and said he had no idea when the problem would be fully resolved.
The strike was sparked by the decision by Spanish airports authority AENA not to renew Iberias baggage handling contract.
Workers blocked one of the airports three runways this morning to protest at possible job losses.Flights have been been diverted to other airports including Girona, Valencia and Toulouse in France.
British Airways has cancelled three services from Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham and is diverting other flights into the French airport of Perpignan, then bussing passengers two hours to Barcelona.
"We're doing as much as we can under very difficult circumstances" said a BA spokeswoman, adding that affected passengers can rebook or receive a full refund.
Iberia operates four flights a day to the Catalan capital from Heathrow and is also offering refunds, free date changes and re routing, although, at the start of the busy holiday period, many planes to other destinations are already full. "Whatever we can do, we will do" an Iberia spokesman commented.
Easyjet, which carries 1.2 million people a year to Barcelona, has cancelled all of its 13 flights from Bristol, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Newcastle scheduled to leave for the city today. It is offering to pay hotel expenses tonight for passengers stranded in Spain and trying to return from Barcelona.
Oil was spread on the runway and set alight by the strikers this afternoon as the dispute escalated. All flights in and out of the aiport had already been cancelled since 9am until 5pm (4pm BST) although the knock-on effects are expected to last the rest of the day
An estimated 10,000 Britons fly into and out of Barcelona every day on 70 flights from UK airports. Ryanair flies into Girona, 40 miles from Barcelona.
A spokesman for Iberia at its headquarters in Madrid described it as a "chaotic situation" and said he had no idea when the problem would be fully resolved.
The strike was sparked by the decision by Spanish airports authority AENA not to renew Iberias baggage handling contract.
Workers blocked one of the airports three runways this morning to protest at possible job losses.Flights have been been diverted to other airports including Girona, Valencia and Toulouse in France.
British Airways has cancelled three services from Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham and is diverting other flights into the French airport of Perpignan, then bussing passengers two hours to Barcelona.
"We're doing as much as we can under very difficult circumstances" said a BA spokeswoman, adding that affected passengers can rebook or receive a full refund.
Iberia operates four flights a day to the Catalan capital from Heathrow and is also offering refunds, free date changes and re routing, although, at the start of the busy holiday period, many planes to other destinations are already full. "Whatever we can do, we will do" an Iberia spokesman commented.
Easyjet, which carries 1.2 million people a year to Barcelona, has cancelled all of its 13 flights from Bristol, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Newcastle scheduled to leave for the city today. It is offering to pay hotel expenses tonight for passengers stranded in Spain and trying to return from Barcelona.
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I was going to ask how workers gained access to the runway, then set an oil slick alight. I guess Spain has different airside access rules, or those in place, were ignored by security staff who are probably in the same, or a similar trade union?
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BCN today
Iberia handling licence withdrawn so BCN staff walked. First flight ex BCN departed ok but first arriving flight ex LHR diverted to TLS, pax coached to BCN. Next flights ex LGW/LHR canx and remaining flights operated to PGF, again pax coached........tomorrow who knows ?
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Strike
I assume that this was a wildcat strike and if so does anyone know if
similar rules apply as in the UK - illegal?
If illegal, can't the "strikers" be arrested or is this just an over-simplification of the matter - okay I know the answer to that one.
Yes I have a vested interest as it is the family holiday on Tuesday
flying Connect to BCN.
A legal strike is annoying but at least plans can be made. One without warning should be stamped upon quickly and the offenders dealt with
accordingly.
I assume Spain do not have the equivalent of TUPE going by the
reaction or should I say over-reaction? I assume it is about the
baggage contract?
Pete
similar rules apply as in the UK - illegal?
If illegal, can't the "strikers" be arrested or is this just an over-simplification of the matter - okay I know the answer to that one.
Yes I have a vested interest as it is the family holiday on Tuesday
flying Connect to BCN.
A legal strike is annoying but at least plans can be made. One without warning should be stamped upon quickly and the offenders dealt with
accordingly.
I assume Spain do not have the equivalent of TUPE going by the
reaction or should I say over-reaction? I assume it is about the
baggage contract?
Pete
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Flew into GRO today (suppose to fly BCN, but what can you do), the handling agent told us that IBERIA handling in BCN poured JET A1 on some taxiways in the morning - sounds like hoax to me - surely some authorities would put an end that kind of behaviour (strike or no strike).
Anyway, huge thanks to GRO and the handling staff for being so flexible on a hot and stressfull day like today.
Hope this situation will be solved shortly.
Anyway, huge thanks to GRO and the handling staff for being so flexible on a hot and stressfull day like today.
Hope this situation will be solved shortly.
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Criminals
Bad enough that there was a strike, worse that it was unofficial 
These
employees who poured fuel on the runway and set it on fire are criminals and should be arrested!
Good summary of events:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0607291923.htm
These
employees who poured fuel on the runway and set it on fire are criminals and should be arrested!Good summary of events:
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0607291923.htm
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Originally Posted by qwertyuiop
I admire the attitude of the workers/strikers. In the UK we bend over to be shafted, good luck to them and I hope they keep their jobs!
TUPE regulations are - as you may well be aware not quite as simple as "transfer the employee over to new contractor" and all will be rosey in the garden. Through most competitive contracts - including UK - where TUPE applies - the new contractor will include costs for transfer liability and also show costs excluding TUPE liability -after which the issuing authority - (that who is placing contract) shall consider what is the best course of action - in terms of dealing with the staff subject to transfer . Further in just about all cases, despite TUPE being followed - redundancy does follow usually within the first 12 months of operation. Further in most competitive contracts - staff numbers will ultimately be reduced.
Wild cat striking is relatively common in Spain.While ofcourse it is very unfortunate for all pax and operators being caught up in theis sequence of events it had been bubbling over for a period of time and has been very badly managed by the senior management team.
Wild cat striking is relatively common in Spain.While ofcourse it is very unfortunate for all pax and operators being caught up in theis sequence of events it had been bubbling over for a period of time and has been very badly managed by the senior management team.
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Hi from BCN
On Friday and after a short meeting at bcn airport the iberia handling
agents decided to take the runways without any notice.
Trolleys were placed on the runway, even the wing of one a/c was damaged. Handling equipment was placed all over the ramp and runways. Signals instruments was destroyed but... didnīt see any oil on fire and nothing about that was reported in the spanish media.
But the worst was to come. Two a/c heading for BCN were carrying organs for transplants. Both organs were lost, they arrived too late to the hospital. And even worst, one air-ambulance carrying a very sick kid had to be diverted to Valladolid (miles, miles, miles away from BCN) due all the normal diversion airports were full of diverted a/c. Well... the kid never reached any hospital. He died.
Going back to the situation at the airport.
On Friday night the government sent the riot police and cleared the runways, they couldnīt do it before as the rioters were threatening to burn an a/c parked near the "bloque tecnico". After the runways were cleared an agreement was reached so the full time workers will keep their jobs.
It looks like everything is sorted, right? well.... not really.
Saturday morning on my way to the airport to deliver the paperwork to the pilots of my company (i work in ops) i found an unusual massive traffic jam at 04.30 AM. The reason? Air Madrid cancelled one of the flights affected by the strike from the previous day, and the passengers decided to take the streets and block the access road to the airport!!
Probably ye think that today (sunday) the situation will improve, donīt ya? Well.... it didnīt.
The temporary staff of Iberia Handling refused to work today. The guys collecting and delivering bags to/from the aircrafts decided that they want the same agreement as the full time employees and didnīt go to work today.
The whole baggage system colapsed. Most of the flights, ibera and other airlines, suffered more than two hours delay in most of our flights and some of them left with pax and no bags.
Some passengers went absolutly crazy and decided to go to the baggage carrusel using the same way that the suitcases follow!! They found a handling agent of another company (not iberia), the guy was not wearing his official uniform, as iberia workers do to avoid any trouble, and the pax kicked the ****e out of him thinking he was one of the iberia guys on strike.
So then, at 0600z, we have the iberia guys on strike and the other companies guys refusing to go anywhere until the police take mesurements against the atackers.
Finally around 1000z it looks like everything is getting quieter, pax are back at the terminal, everybody seems to be working normally, but there are thousends of pieces of luggage undelivered.
What will happen tomorrow? Will the protesters get everything they ask for? Will they be prosecuted? And if they succeed, in Madrid another big handling company (not iberia) lost their licence too, will their employees decide to follow the steps of their catalans colleagues??
agents decided to take the runways without any notice.
Trolleys were placed on the runway, even the wing of one a/c was damaged. Handling equipment was placed all over the ramp and runways. Signals instruments was destroyed but... didnīt see any oil on fire and nothing about that was reported in the spanish media.
But the worst was to come. Two a/c heading for BCN were carrying organs for transplants. Both organs were lost, they arrived too late to the hospital. And even worst, one air-ambulance carrying a very sick kid had to be diverted to Valladolid (miles, miles, miles away from BCN) due all the normal diversion airports were full of diverted a/c. Well... the kid never reached any hospital. He died.
Going back to the situation at the airport.
On Friday night the government sent the riot police and cleared the runways, they couldnīt do it before as the rioters were threatening to burn an a/c parked near the "bloque tecnico". After the runways were cleared an agreement was reached so the full time workers will keep their jobs.
It looks like everything is sorted, right? well.... not really.
Saturday morning on my way to the airport to deliver the paperwork to the pilots of my company (i work in ops) i found an unusual massive traffic jam at 04.30 AM. The reason? Air Madrid cancelled one of the flights affected by the strike from the previous day, and the passengers decided to take the streets and block the access road to the airport!!
Probably ye think that today (sunday) the situation will improve, donīt ya? Well.... it didnīt.
The temporary staff of Iberia Handling refused to work today. The guys collecting and delivering bags to/from the aircrafts decided that they want the same agreement as the full time employees and didnīt go to work today.
The whole baggage system colapsed. Most of the flights, ibera and other airlines, suffered more than two hours delay in most of our flights and some of them left with pax and no bags.
Some passengers went absolutly crazy and decided to go to the baggage carrusel using the same way that the suitcases follow!! They found a handling agent of another company (not iberia), the guy was not wearing his official uniform, as iberia workers do to avoid any trouble, and the pax kicked the ****e out of him thinking he was one of the iberia guys on strike.
So then, at 0600z, we have the iberia guys on strike and the other companies guys refusing to go anywhere until the police take mesurements against the atackers.
Finally around 1000z it looks like everything is getting quieter, pax are back at the terminal, everybody seems to be working normally, but there are thousends of pieces of luggage undelivered.
What will happen tomorrow? Will the protesters get everything they ask for? Will they be prosecuted? And if they succeed, in Madrid another big handling company (not iberia) lost their licence too, will their employees decide to follow the steps of their catalans colleagues??
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Originally Posted by Buster the Bear
I was going to ask how workers gained access to the runway, then set an oil slick alight. I guess Spain has different airside access rules, or those in place, were ignored by security staff who are probably in the same, or a similar trade union?
Lemme ask you this: what´s there in place in the UK to physically stop anyone on any airport with airside access to enter a runway and set some oil on fire?
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Kidnap?????????????
A judge at Barcelona provincial court has opened a case against Iberia ground workers, who went on a lightning strike at the end of last week, accusing them of endangering security at the airport and kidnapping as several planes with their passengers on board were detained for hours during the strike.
Also yesterday, general secretary of the PP opposition party, Angel Acebes, stated that he blamed three ministers for the chaos: Industry minister, Jose Montilla, Infrastructure minister, Magdalena Alvarez, and Interior minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, "all of whom appeared powerless to stop the situation from continuing as long as it did."
Also yesterday, general secretary of the PP opposition party, Angel Acebes, stated that he blamed three ministers for the chaos: Industry minister, Jose Montilla, Infrastructure minister, Magdalena Alvarez, and Interior minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, "all of whom appeared powerless to stop the situation from continuing as long as it did."
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Barcelona yesterday
My thoughts are with those pax who got caught up in the chaos on that
Friday having experienced the check-in area on a "normal day" yesterday.
I have to say the staff on check-in, security at the gate were first class
(flew Connect). Massive queue at check-in so I went and used the self-service machines leaving the wife & kids in the queue. However the process only took about a minute and even in that time somebody had asked my wife if she wanted to use the machines.
I also thought airside was very good and well laid out.
Arriving at BCN the week before was painful, landing at 13.35 and
picking the bags up 50 minutes later, some of that was down to the
15 minute taxi to the stand and parking remote.
All in all not a bad experience, the bag wait was
but to the staff during my visit
Still don't agree with the ones who took such drastic action on that Friday.
Pete
Friday having experienced the check-in area on a "normal day" yesterday.
I have to say the staff on check-in, security at the gate were first class
(flew Connect). Massive queue at check-in so I went and used the self-service machines leaving the wife & kids in the queue. However the process only took about a minute and even in that time somebody had asked my wife if she wanted to use the machines.
I also thought airside was very good and well laid out.
Arriving at BCN the week before was painful, landing at 13.35 and
picking the bags up 50 minutes later, some of that was down to the
15 minute taxi to the stand and parking remote.
All in all not a bad experience, the bag wait was
but to the staff during my visit Still don't agree with the ones who took such drastic action on that Friday.
Pete
