Iberia Airlines

British Airways and American Airlines will each reportedly buy between 5% and 10% of Iberia Airlines by the end of this year.

British Airways said Tuesday it would merge with Iberia, Spain's national airline, as slower economies and higher fuel costs wipe out earnings. The airlines are in talks about an all-stock transaction that would create a new company with two fleets and a dual listing in London and Madrid, the companies said. The deal would be the largest in Europe since Air France acquired Dutch airline KLM for $826.9 million in 2003.

A strike by Iberia Airlines ground personnel forced the cancellation of 400 flights Monday and left about 30,000 passengers stranded at airports around Spain, officials said.

I believe that "'Iberia Puts Reins on the Planes in Spain" (News, Tips & Bargains, May 2) did not tell the whole story about delays on Iberia Airlines. My wife and I were caught up in sudden, unexplained flight cancellations when we were to leave Seville for Madrid on April 11. This resulted in our missing flight connections in Madrid and then in Paris for our return to Los Angeles. We were later transported by bus to Madrid in a six-hour ride, but once we arrived, and after waiting in lines there for nearly four hours, neither Iberia nor our connecting carrier would take responsibility for the expenses of overnighting near the airport.

The son of a Sandinista official and a Cuban family of three asked for political asylum after their Iberia Airlines flight from Havana to Madrid ended in an emergency landing at Miami's airport. Manuel De Jesus Prado-Ortega, 20, of Nicaragua said his father is a government agronomist assigned to indoctrinate farmers into the Sandinista philosophy. The Cubans are Sergio Betancourt-Henriquez, 31; his wife, Ibis Binimelis-Groche, 28, and their 13-month-old son, Sergio

I believe that "'Iberia Puts Reins on the Planes in Spain" (News, Tips & Bargains, May 2) did not tell the whole story about delays on Iberia Airlines. My wife and I were caught up in sudden, unexplained flight cancellations when we were to leave Seville for Madrid on April 11. This resulted in our missing flight connections in Madrid and then in Paris for our return to Los Angeles. We were later transported by bus to Madrid in a six-hour ride, but once we arrived, and after waiting in lines there for nearly four hours, neither Iberia nor our connecting carrier would take responsibility for the expenses of overnighting near the airport.

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.

Spain's state-owned flag carrier, Iberia, said it has signed a limited commercial agreement with United Airlines and that the two companies plan to cooperate more closely in the future.

* The Japan Seaman's Union voted to allow Japan-flagged vessels to call at ports in Qatar, reversing its earlier decision to bar its members from moving into the western half of the Persian Gulf. * Iberia SA, Spain's national carrier, said it would reduce flights between New York and Madrid because fears of terrorist attacks had lowered passenger demand. Earlier this week, the airline reduced flights to seven European cities and to five cities 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.

British Airways and American Airlines will each reportedly buy between 5% and 10% of Iberia Airlines by the end of this year.

Iberia May Sell Assets to Avert Bankruptcy: Spain's ailing national airline will contact several international investment banks this week to begin selling assets in an effort to avert bankruptcy, said officials at Teneo, the government holding company that controls 99% of Iberia. The implementation of this so-called "Plan B" means Iberia management is dropping its original plan to seek authorization from the European Union for a $1-billion government bailout to save the airline from collapse.

Spain's state-owned flag carrier, Iberia, said it has signed a limited commercial agreement with United Airlines and that the two companies plan to cooperate more closely in the future.

* The Japan Seaman's Union voted to allow Japan-flagged vessels to call at ports in Qatar, reversing its earlier decision to bar its members from moving into the western half of the Persian Gulf. * Iberia SA, Spain's national carrier, said it would reduce flights between New York and Madrid because fears of terrorist attacks had lowered passenger demand. Earlier this week, the airline reduced flights to seven European cities and to five cities in Spain.

Iberia May Sell Assets to Avert Bankruptcy: Spain's ailing national airline will contact several international investment banks this week to begin selling assets in an effort to avert bankruptcy, said officials at Teneo, the government holding company that controls 99% of Iberia. The implementation of this so-called "Plan B" means Iberia management is dropping its original plan to seek authorization from the European Union for a $1-billion government bailout to save the airline from collapse.

This is in response to the column by Joe Domanick entitled "L.A. Turns Its Back on Its People," (Commentary, June 20). I wish to correct two points he made about the Department of Children's Services in his commentary. The first point that needs clarification concerns the statement that the department "has had to pay out more than $18 million in civil suits and settlements" because of mishandled children's cases. This is not true.