New holiday air chaos is halted by taxi deal

FURTHER strike action by Spanish coach drivers is expected to be averted today, ending the travel misery that has already ruined thousands of summer holidays.

British tour operators are confident that a new pay deal for drivers will ensure there is no repeat of the three-day strike that left frustrated holidaymakers stranded at airports in Majorca and Britain.

The Association of British Travel Agents, which branded the strike outrageous and selfish , is expecting a call from the Spanish authorities any time today confirming that drivers unions have accepted the new terms and called off their threat of further action in 10 days.

Keith Betton, head of Abta s corporate affairs, said: We are quite sure they are going to call off the second strike because a very good pay deal has been put on the table. We expect the drivers representatives to agree not to strike any more.

Mr Betton said growing concerns over Spain s image as a popular tourist resort was also likely to lay a part in the decision. He said: The Spanish are a very proud nation and they are very worried about the damage caused to their image by the strike. They do not want to be seen as a people resonsible for causing so much misery to holidaymakers.

He said the strike, which caused widespread travel chaos, was driven by a minoity of hardcore activists. I m sure the majority of strikers did not really want to do it, but were forced to go along with a small number of their colleagues.

They won t be happy about going through that again especially now they have a deal.

The strike, led by the communist Workers Commissions Union, severely disrupted services to Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, as well as some to mainland Spain, Cyprus and Greece.

Last night, one Airtours flight from Gatwick to Palma, Majorca, took off 45 hours late. The 300 passengers spent two nights in hotels near Gatwick and would have been entitled to a full refund or help with booking another holiday, an Airtours spokeswoman said.

Tourists may, however, face more delays as Spanish airline pilots go on 24-hour strike today over pay. Some 14 out of 20 Iberia Airlines flights between Heathrow, Madrid and Barcelona have been cancelled and an estimated 1,400 passengers will be affected.

cruise ship has been impounded by coastguards at Dover called by horrified holiday-makers who claimed the vessel was a floating death trap.

About 600 British passengers were stranded on the dockside after port authorities detained the Norway-bound vessel and its crew after finding faulty fire doors, blocked escape routes, faulty radio equipment and leaking pumps in the engine room on board the Ocean Glory 1 yesterday.

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