Thursday, February 03, 2011

Ouch, that could be costly

Remember the action by air traffic controllers on the 3rd and 4th December? They effectively closed Spanish airspace for 20 hours and caused delays and flight cancellations that lasted for a week. That cost the airlines about 100 million Euros - not including the costs of care for passengers, transfer to hotels, services provided at airports and the search for alternative transportation. It was unprecedented for Spain and was resolved by a Royal Decree which made the strike illegal meaning that controllers could be jailed for continuing their action.

Now though, it could cost the National Airports and Air Navigation (Aena) a whole lot more because almost a thousand of the passengers affected have decided to file a class action lawsuit against the company. They are seeking to claim 10,000 Euros each for moral damages caused by the strike and their cases are being handled by Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo.

In the first place the claim will be made against Aena but if that is either denied or ignored, then they will take the action to court. There is also the possibility that criminal proceedings will be taken out against those who supported the strike.

Anyone who was affected by the strike in this way can contact the group at info@afectadosbloqueoaereo.org or by telephone at 900811000. Filling in an online form will formally execute the application without the need for individuals to go to court. Estimates show that the total number of people affected could be as many as 20,400 people at Alicante and 600,000 throughout Spain.

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