Most Spanish Air Traffic Controllers called in sick!

[sn26567]

Massive epidemy at Spanish air traffic controllers. Most of them called in sick since yesterday afternoon. The Spanish air space is empty! I wonder wich virus they have caught.

[sn26567]

Cancellations due to the air traffic controllers

• According to the latest information, the Madrid airport could resume operations at 12:00am December 4

• At the moment, only long haul flight have been accepted to land in Madrid. 5 until now, and 14 more in the next hours

• In www.iberia.com, Departures and arrivals, clients can check the status of their flight. If their cancel, we recommend them no to go to the airports.

• The call centre has been reinforced with a second number (902 100 988), in addition to the usual one (902 400 500). More client service staff is now at work. Call centre numbers outside Spain can be checked at www.iberia.com, Customer Relations

• Iberia customers will be able to change their tickets without any penalty for flights departing December 3 and 4. These changes can be made until December 7. Customers are requested not to contact Iberia’s call centre unless necessary, so the service does not collapsed

• Iberia codemns the air traffic controllers attitude and thanks its customers for their understanding in these difficult moments

Iberia, Madrid, 4 of December of 2010

[cnc]

the army took over most of the tasks for the moment

[LJ]

the army took over most of the tasks for the moment

To be more precise, the army ordered civilian controllers to work for them. Not obeying army orders would result in serious punishment (up to imprisonment).

[sn26567]

Some Iberia flights from South America diverted to Porto, Portugal (OPO) due to the strike in Spain.

[regi]

yep, there you have it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11913878
The minister appointed the military to take over control.
I have warned about this situation some months ago.
The minister treatens the strikers with arrest and heavy prison punishments if they don't go back to work. And he even warns to call off a state of emergency.

We have here a situation whereby millions of passengers are affected by a small group their action.
The government lets it escalate and pushes it even further.

This is an escalation that is not acceptable in Europe.
Spain should be very careful with such military actions, looking back at its past as one of Europe's last dictatorships.
If the minister was not able to prevent (legal or illegal ) strikes he should step down instead of calling in the military.
This is also a blame for the military. They are used now as strikebreakers.

[TopGun81]

Dear all,

If you are stuck in Spain or know people who are stuck in Spain, due to the strike, please let us know.

E-mail to 4545@hln.be

Thanks!

[cnc]

Dear all,

If you are stuck in Spain or know people who are stuck in Spain, due to the strike, please let us know.

E-mail to 4545@hln.be

Thanks!

so now you can use this forum as a source? maybe HLN should check this forum every time before publishing an article about aviation because every time i read one i almost have to cry because of all the errors inside

[TopGun81]

Friends service.
Why all the anger? It's weekend, relax, enjoy the weather, enjoy aviation.

[sn26567]

EUROCONTROL update on flight situation in Europe

European air traffic today is suffering from serious disruptions caused by unofficial industrial action in Spain and bad weather.

On Saturday 27 November there were 19,146 flights in European airspace and a similar number would have been expected today. Of these, 3,704 flights were to or from Spain, with 1,006 to or from Madrid, 616 to or from Barcelona, 220 to or from Malaga, 230 to or from Palma and 200 or from to the different airports in the Canary Islands.

At the current time, airports and airspace is gradually reopening across Spain with reduced capacities. EUROCONTROL has been coordinating closely with countries surrounding Spain to find alternative routes for flights that were planned to cross Spanish airspace. At the same time, bad weather is causing heavy delays in Amsterdam and several other European airports.

Yesterday, 3 December, 25,245 flights were operated in European airspace. This is 1500 less than Friday 26 November.

Eurocontrol Press release: 4 Dec 14:30 CET

[sn26567]

Some Iberia flights from South America diverted to Porto, Portugal (OPO) due to the strike in Spain.

Iberia flights from Santo Domingo, Chicago, New York and Miami have been rerouted to Porto. Flight from Caracas has landed in Toulouse!

[LJ]

This is an escalation that is not acceptable in Europe.
Spain should be very careful with such military actions, looking back at its past as one of Europe's last dictatorships. If the minister was not able to prevent (legal or illegal ) strikes he should step down instead of calling in the military. This is also a blame for the military. They are used now as strikebreakers.

I hope you don't seriously want to say that the Spanish government didn't do the right thing? Finally a Spanish government who doesn't accept extortion as a way of conducting salary discussions.

Before I get flamed by the people who dismiss my comment as anti-union and anti-strike, the reason why I think the Spanish government is doing the right thing is because a) it's a wildcat strike and thus the controllers didn't follow proper procedure by announcing the strike a few days in advance and b) the Spanish controllers use this tactic over and over again (or has anyone forgotten 2002 and 2003?). The fact that they earn more than an average CEO (and sometimes even more than a CEO of a multi national) is maybe the reason, but not necessarily an issue when declaring the actions by the Spanish government as justified. Finally I don't see why we have to get Franco into this discussion.

[Rudder]

It has been a major chaos in Spanish airports today, army´s emergency personnel giving out blankets to passengers stranded in the airports.

Now it seems that the situation is going back to normal, slowly but surely. Controllers decided not to go on with their idea of paralyzing Spain by air after they understood that there was nothing to talk about with the goverment, goverment wasn ´t going to give in one inch I have understood. Situation will be back to normal in the next 24 to 48 hours, minister of transport has informed. Would be really interesting to know what has happened in the end, why controllers raised the white flag so soon only after hours of strike? Better for the passengers of course!

[regi]

This is an escalation that is not acceptable in Europe.
Spain should be very careful with such military actions, looking back at its past as one of Europe's last dictatorships. If the minister was not able to prevent (legal or illegal ) strikes he should step down instead of calling in the military. This is also a blame for the military. They are used now as strikebreakers.

I hope you don't seriously want to say that the Spanish government didn't do the right thing? Finally a Spanish government who doesn't accept extortion as a way of conducting salary discussions.

Before I get flamed by the people who dismiss my comment as anti-union and anti-strike, the reason why I think the Spanish government is doing the right thing is because a) it's a wildcat strike and thus the controllers didn't follow proper procedure by announcing the strike a few days in advance and b) the Spanish controllers use this tactic over and over again (or has anyone forgotten 2002 and 2003?). The fact that they earn more than an average CEO (and sometimes even more than a CEO of a multi national) is maybe the reason, but not necessarily an issue when declaring the actions by the Spanish government as justified. Finally I don't see why we have to get Franco into this discussion.

Democratic Europe can not accept a state of emergency in one of its membership states, because of a labour dispute.

[theeuropean]

"Democratic Europe can not accept a state of emergency in one of its membership states, because of a labour dispute."

It's a little bit late for that - the Greek government used the same method over the summer to get truckers back to work...and just a few days ago to get seamen back to work...

However this game of threats and wildcat strikes, and military intervention is getting to become a little bit irritating for me. I think there should be a new way (or new ideas) to deal with (current and future) labour disputes.

Rant over.

Anyone see the snow again - are expecting many delays...again?

Have a nice evening everyone

[EBBU]

When I saw the news this evening, there was an interview with a female controller. She said that the guardia civil and aviation police came in and forced the controllers 'to do their job' at GUNPOINT...

This is more than a little bit over the line to me. Whatever the reason for the strike, announced or a wildcat strike, you NEVER can accept this kind of behaviour from the government. How good will the controller be focused on his/her job when you have people with guns standing behind them....? Hiding your own failure to handle the situation by force is unacceptable.

But ... it seems the legacy of Franco is still alive in Spain.

[airazurxtror]

When I saw the news this evening, there was an interview with a female controller. She said that the guardia civil and aviation police came in and forced the controllers 'to do their job' at GUNPOINT...
But ... it seems the legacy of Franco is still alive in Spain.

If you believe what says that female controller ... of course, in the heat of the dispute, the strikers try to make things worse than they are, and disqualify the authority - it's normal procedure : always make your opponent look bad, dishonest, fascist, etc.

The second sentence is an insult to modern Spain. Quite unwarranted.

Ronald Reagan did the same in the same situation a few years ago - and even coldly fired those who refused to go back to work. Much less controllers strikes in the US since then.
Nobody is indispensable, everybody can be substituted, even an air controller.

[LJ]

Ronald Reagan did the same in the same situation a few years ago - and even coldly fired those who refused to go back to work. Much less controllers strikes in the US since then.

Which will also happen in Spain (finally).. The controllers made a very big mistake by organising a wild cat strike at a moment when the general public was looking forward to its 5-day holiday. They totally missed the fact that the current Spanish government is under great pressure from the financial world to show that the Spanish government is serious about reducing its debts. The controllers could have expected that the government would not tolerate their actions (though I'm personally surprised by the speed the Spanish government reacted). In short they were very stupid doing this.

BTW I can't wait what the controllers do when AENA is partly privatised. If I'm correct, the controllers are now employed by AENA. If this will become a partly privately held company I'm certain the private investors will look at the cost base of these controllers...

[Nevihta]

Ronald Reagan did the same in the same situation a few years ago - and even coldly fired those who refused to go back to work. Much less controllers strikes in the US since then.
Nobody is indispensable, everybody can be substituted, even an air controller.

I, as usual, suggest you have a look at the accident between Iberia DC 9 /30 EC- BII and Spantax CV 990.30 A EC-BJC killing 68, resulting of militaries taking over civilian control.

Here's the link for the incident report (only in french, comes from BEA) http://www.bea.aero/docspa/1973/ec-i730 ... 730305.pdf

[LJ]

I, as usual, suggest you have a look at the accident between Iberia DC 9 /30 EC- BII and Spantax CV 990.30 A EC-BJC killing 68, resulting of militaries taking over civilian control.

The military didn't take over. They ordered civilian controllers to do their job, that's why the Spanish government declared the State of Emergency. Furthermore, I don't think an accident in Spain can be used to discount what happened in the US.. I can't recall of any serious incident in the US as a result of the military taking over the civilian control.