Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[William Marques]

"Iberia has "new" regulations that are "more comfortable and safe" for its flights. Bicycles are 150 euros each on any flight.

If you've got a ticket booked with Iberia and you booked it before the policy changed at the end
of April, you can contact the airline and get the fee waived since the fee didn't exist when you booked the ticket.

The biking groups here in Madrid have filed complaints with AENOR, the Spanish standards agency, to demand that Iberia have its ISO 14001 certification - the one that says that they have policies in place to defend the environment - revoked.

They're not directly related, but another action that might hit home would be to call your local branch of the Spanish National Tourist Office and tell them that you have no intention of flying Iberia because of the change in policy. The SNTO is a branch of the Ministry of Industry and they're very sensitive to anything that might deprive them of tourist money.

Dawn"

[john]

William,

I've voiced my protest by emailing the Spanish Tourist Office in London - the press section at press.london@tourspain.es

The charge is way in excess of the low cost airlines (question whether they will follow suit); it's way more than what Iberia charges for excess baggage and I reckon the charge bears no relation to the cost the airline incurs in transporting bikes which do after all go in the hold along with other baggage.

Next they'll classify backpacks as sporting equipement and whack an extra charge for carrying these!

Seriously though for the next part of my Via de La Plata I will not be flying Iberia into Salamanca and will take either Ryan Air or Easy Jet to Vallodolid or Oviedo/Asturias instead and then bus to Salamanca to take up the Plata again.

[Javier Martin]

John,

To move inside Spain, in my opinion, is cheaper and easier to do it by train or by bus.

Planes now are very expensive because the petrol prize.

If you are travelling not alone (two pilgrims) a good option is to rent a car, it lets you to carry your bicycles and to discover another point of view of Spain. And cheaper, the same prize for both.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.