Iberia Puts Reins on the Planes in Spain

Spain’s Iberia Airlines has taken the unusual step of canceling 6% of its flights--about 77 per day--during the busy summer season, citing overtaxed airports and the Kosovo crisis.

Although the cuts target routes within Spain, people making connections in Madrid “will be affected to some extent,” conceded Fernando Pollan, the line’s Miami-based manager of U.S. customer relations. He advised travelers to check with their travel agents or Iberia, at (800) 772-4642, for possible flight changes.

In recent weeks, travelers’ frustrations have boiled into open revolt. In one incident, more than 200 passengers, trapped inside an Iberia plane in Madrid for hours awaiting takeoff clearance, used cell phones to summon police, wire services reported.

Pollan called the Kosovo war “a major factor” in the delays because air space is restricted around Spain’s two U.S. air bases and other areas, forcing planes to alter routes. In fact, each day about 30% of flights throughout Europe are delayed to some extent because of NATO’s air campaign over Yugoslavia, Europe’s air traffic control body said last week.