Swiss airports brace for easyJet cancellations as autumn holiday strikes loom

easyJet staff in Portugal and France will strike at the beginning of October, resulting in disruptions for any travellers from Switzerland looking to enjoy a trip during the autumn school holidays.

easyJet flights disrupted this autumn

EasyJet cabin crew employees in Portugal have voted to carry out two waves of strikes this autumn, the first from October 2 to 6 and the second from December 19 to 23. 

While the strikes will largely disrupt airports in Lisbon, Porto and Faro, Swiss airports will also feel the effects. Several flights from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Geneva Airport and Zurich Airport have already been cancelled, according to 20 Minuten.

According to the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC), a total of around 500 flights could be grounded during the October strike. However, Portuguese law requires organisations to maintain a minimum level of service during strikes. 

easyJet pilots in France also set to strike

In addition to the Portuguese strike, easyJet pilots in France, represented by the SNPL union, are scheduled to strike on October 1 and 2. However, this strike has already been postponed twice as the budget airline and the union continue negotiations.

If the French strike goes ahead as planned, flights between Swiss airports and Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Lyon, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse may well be disrupted in early October.

More details about the Portuguese and French strikes will be made available in the coming days. easyJet has said it will contact affected customers directly via email, text or the mobile app. Passengers are also advised to check for changes to their booking and their easyJet flight status regularly. 

Passengers may be entitled to compensation, a full flight refund or a free rebooking depending on whether their flight is cancelled or severely delayed. 

Whether the second Portuguese strike planned for December goes ahead will also depend on negotiations between easyJet and the SNPVAC in the coming months.

Why are easyJet employees striking?

easyJet staff in Portugal have voted to strike in response to multiple issues, including the airline’s failure to make good on collective bargaining agreements, habitual schedule changes and reliance on staff working overtime to plug worker shortages.

EasyJet pilots in France face similar issues; they claim the airline changes schedules too often and at very short notice. The airline currently employs around 4.000 pilots and 8.000 cabin crew across Europe.

This article originally appeared on IamExpat Germany.