Pilots' strike adds to travel misery

Some passengers waited 45 hours

British tourists are being warned that a strike by pilots with Spanish airline Iberia could hit their holiday plans.

The 24-hour stoppages come as flight schedules get back to normal after a three-day coach drivers strike over pay in the Balearic Islands.

Disruption has not been widespread but 14 flights between London and Spain have been cancelled.

Tour operators and flight companies have now cleared the backlog caused by the coach drivers' strike over pay - which put aircraft and crews out of position and hit services to Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, as well as mainland Spain, Cyprus and Greece.

Iberia wants to reach an agreement

Iberia spokeswoman

At one stage thousands of people were left stranded in airports waiting for lifts to their holiday destinations.

The Federation of Tour Operators said it was confident the coach drivers would accept proposals drawn up by their unions and abandon the threat of repeating the action in two weeks' time.

"We are highly optimistic that the deal is on track and will be signed later today," said a spokesman.

Summer strikes

The pilots' strike is the second of 10 separate days of industrial action planned for every Tuesday in July and each Monday in August.

Iberia has already cancelled 23% of 1,019 flights scheduled for Tuesday as the airline's pilots demand improved pensions and an end to a six-year pay freeze.

Tour operators hope future action will be avoided

Cancellations included six of Monday's eight Iberia flights between London Heathrow and Barcelona, and eight of the 12 between Heathrow and Madrid.

But an Iberia spokeswoman told BBC News Online 16,000 passengers were notified in advance and were able to rebook. Other passengers affected by the action will be offered a refund, she said.

Pilots' union SEPLA, due to resume talks with management on Wednesday, says Iberia has reneged on a salary deal involving a 20% pay cut for pilots during the airline's privatisation.

Now 53.9% of the national carrier is in private hands, the pilots want their original salaries reinstated.

Iberia has said it was offering pilots a 0.5% annual rise and studying ways of maintaining the airline's financial stability, including cutting some routes.

Backlog cleared

British tourists who endured a 45-hour delay before departing for Majorca on Tuesday morning will take little comfort in the public apology by Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar to anyone affected.

Passengers on flights to Ibiza and Reus delayed at Manchester Airport for 24 hours, finally left on Tuesday morning.

Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow airport said backlogs had been cleared and they were expecting no further disruption.