Travellers flying with easyJet to or from Portugal face a double dose of disruption, after the airline's locally based cabin crew announced two separate strike waves. Members of the SNPVAC union will walk out from 2 to 6 October and again from 19 to 23 December — the latter window colliding head-on with the peak Christmas getaway.
The union estimates the October stoppage alone will ground around 500 scheduled flights across Lisbon, Porto and Faro, and that figure does not factor in any minimum service levels authorities might impose. On the morning the first strike began, Flightradar24 showed 99 delayed flights at Lisbon alone. The December strike could bite harder still, since airlines run fuller schedules over the holidays and planes are packed with families and reuniting relatives.
At the heart of the dispute are working conditions. SNPVAC says rosters are unstable, the company agreement is being breached, cabin crew are treated less favourably than pilots, and staffing shortfalls are being plugged by pressuring crew into overtime. In a statement, the union argued that constant schedule changes amount to a lack of respect for workers' family lives rather than the normal unpredictability of aviation.
EasyJet says it is "extremely disappointed" by the walkouts, which it notes come despite talks mediated by Portugal's labour authority, DGERT. The airline has labelled the union's demands "unworkable", insisting its Portugal-based crew are paid well above the national average, and says it will do everything it can to limit disruption to passengers.
If you have an easyJet booking to, from or within Portugal around either strike window, it is worth watching your inbox closely — airlines typically email affected passengers with rebooking or refund options before cancelling. Build slack into any connections, especially if you are flying onward to a cruise or a wedding. Flexibility helps too: flying a day earlier or later, or routing through an alternative airport such as Porto instead of Lisbon, can save a lot of stress if cancellations stack up. Even if your flight operates, delays are likely when crew action is underway, so keep essentials in hand luggage rather than checked bags.
For holidaymakers eyeing a Christmas trip to the Algarve or a city break in Lisbon, this is a story to follow rather than a reason to abandon the plan — but the dates 19 to 23 December are now ones to book around if you would rather not gamble.
