Iberia seeking to lay-off up to 90% of staff with no pay for three months

Iberia, the sister airline of British Airways, issued a statement yesterday saying that it had asked the ‘labour authorities’ for permission to make the majority of employees temporarily redundant.

These would initially be for a three month period with the possibility of extension.

Flight crew, as well as ground handling, line maintenance and cargo staff would be cut by 90%.

In addition, 70% of office-based staff were likely to be laid off and 80% (rising to 90%) of heavy maintenance staff.  The only area to get off relatively lightly by comparison is engine maintenance with a 60% cut, as it has external customers as well as Iberia.

The airline has confirmed that it will not ground its fleet entirely, with some short, medium and long haul flights running.  These would be used primarily to take non-residents home and to bring back Spanish residents abroad.

Full details, in English, can be found on the Iberia website here.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)