Several passengers huddle in front of the counter from which their flight to Ibiza or Menorca departs, waiting for information. It is a scene that has been repeated repeatedly over the last few days at Palma airport on routes managed by Air Nostrum, the company in charge of most of the inter-island routes in the Balearic Islands.
Throughout the weekend, the company has suffered cancellations and delays. On Saturday, a total of eight of the company’s flights were suspended and on Sunday, eleven planes did not fly between the islands, according to Air Nostrum data.
On Sunday night, travelers who were scheduled to travel from Mallorca to Ibiza looked carefully at the airport screens to check with discontent that their flight had been canceled or delayed. Among them were several sports teams made up of children returning from competing in the Balearic capital.
“Cancelled!” exclaimed several of them in front of the screen at Son Sant Joan. Just below the cancellation of the Palma-Maó flight, the screen showed delays in several flights from Palma to Ibiza.
Lack of information
Some of these passengers, faced with the lack of information provided by the airline’s ground staff and due to impatience, demanded explanations as they milled around in front of the boarding gate assigned to their flight.
The company staff assured that they were not aware of the reasons for the delay, but detailed to the travelers that the plane in charge of moving them to Ibiza had to go first to Menorca, return from this island and then it would already make the route to es Codolar.
This particular flight was scheduled to depart at 21.30 and finally left Mallorca at 00.30, according to a passenger. Faced with this situation, several people agreed to delay boarding so that the three-hour delay would be met and Air Nostrum would have to pay the compensation. “It is not fair that for five minutes they are spared from compensating us.”explained one of the passengers.
Many had already been repositioned on the flight after the previous flight, scheduled at 6 p.m., had been cancelled. “I went to Can Pastilla to have a Coca Cola and came back, what was I going to do here for so long,” recounted another of those affected. “And they didn’t even give us a ticket to go get some food, which they are supposed to give you.”
Another passenger informed her fellow passengers during the wait that when she arrived in Ibiza she still had to travel to Formentera and that she had already lost the ferry ticket. “I’ll have to buy another one, for 40 euros,” she lamented.
Monday of more delays
During Monday morning, Son Sant Joan airport was once again the scene of cancellations and delays. In this case, it was the passengers of one of the flights heading to Menorca who had to wait for the plane to travel to Ibiza and back before making the route to the Menorca airport.
In this case, the passengers did receive a six euro ticket from Air Nostrum for food and drink expenses.
Several of the passengers whose flight to Ibiza was scheduled at 11.30 a.m. departed two hours late and asked the Iberia team for the page on which to make a complaint, says one of them, who was informed by one of the flight attendants that the flight was leaving late, on this occasion, because of a pilots’ strike.
Bad weather and breakdowns
The company has informed that the weekend delays are not related to the pilots’ strike, but to breakdowns in two of the aircraft of the fleet. This is confirmed by the pilots union (Sepla).
As for Saturday, several of the incidents were attributed, by the crew of one of the flights, to the storm that had broken out on the islands.
Indefinite strike starting today
Air Nostrum pilots have called an indefinite strike starting today after the two-day weekly stoppage, Monday and Friday, which had been taking place since last February 27.
From the pilots’ union they have regretted the minimum services set by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. In the case of interisland flights of 90% and in the case of peninsular flights of 65%.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.