easyJet has been forced to cancel 232 flights to and from Portugal due to a cabin crew strike, causing disruption for Brits planning holidays between Thursday August 15 and Saturday August 17.
The airline, which operates flights to Portugal from several UK airports including Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, London Gatwick, and Luton, has advised passengers to check the status of their flights using its online flight tracker.
Destinations affected include Lisbon, Porto, and Faro on the Algarve coast.
An easyJet spokesperson confirmed that 27 return flights between the UK and Portugal have been cancelled in advance due to the strike action.
The disruption follows a call by Portugal’s National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Staff (SNPVAC) for a three-day strike affecting all easyJet flights and other services involving air cabin crew.
The union has appealed to the airline not to cancel flights, but instead to meet the “common sense of the company, so that it can give in to the fair demands of its workers”.
The SNPVAC union has urged easyJet to “find solutions to avoid” the looming strike, criticising the airline for dismissing previous suggestions that could have prevented industrial action.
Ricardo Penarroias, president of the union, lamented to AFP that “working conditions never cease to worsen” for cabin crew members, highlighting increased working hours and severe staff shortages. The striking employees are also demanding better bonuses.
Out of the 1,138 flights easyJet had scheduled during the three-day strike from August 15 to August 17, the budget carrier announced it would maintain 62 percent of its flight operations in and out of Portugal, as reported by Portuguese daily Expresso.
An easyJet UK spokesperson expressed their disappointment: “We are extremely disappointed with this needless strike action, especially at this important time of the year for our customers.”
The spokesperson added: “Our priority has been to try and minimise the impact of this strike action on our customers, which included cancelling some flights in advance in order to allow them to rearrange their travel plans.
“Customers whose flight has been affected have already been contacted a number of days ago with their options to rebook or receive a refund. We also advise customers travelling to and from Portugal on August 15, 16 and 17 to check the status of their flights on the easyJet Flight Tracker.”