EasyJet passengers travelling between Belgium and Portugal this week may experience cancelled flights, as the airline faces a cabin crew strike.
The budget UK airline has cancelled more than 200 flights in and out of Portuguese airports between Thursday and Saturday, due to a planned strike by Portugal-based cabin crew.
EasyJet has confirmed that it has cancelled 232 out of 1,138 planned flights during the three-day strike. The airline said that affected customers have already been contacted with options to rebook or receive a refund. "We also advise customers travelling to and from Portugal on 15, 16 and 17 August to check the status of their flights on the easyJet Flight Tracker," a spokesperson told The Brussels Times.
While easyJet does not offer any direct flights between Belgium and Portugal, customers booking through EasyJet's website can book a connecting journey from Brussels to Lisbon or Porto, via Geneva.
The EasyJet spokesperson confirmed that the airline expects "some disruption" to its programme of flights between Geneva, and Lisbon and Porto.
However, the Portuguese Government has decreed a minimum service that will ensure certain connections to Geneva, as well as Madeira, London and Luxembourg.
'Deteriorating' work conditions
As reported by Belga News Agency, the airline's Portugal-based cabin crew filed a strike notice at the end of July demanding better working conditions.
"Staff are working under conditions that keep deteriorating," said Ricardo Penarroias, Head of the National Union of Civil Aviation Personnel. He criticised increased working hours and staff shortages, and called for some wage premiums to be reviewed.
On Monday, the union urged the company to exercise "common sense" and strive to "find solutions" instead of "cancelling flights en masse."
A spokesperson for easyJet said that the airline is "extremely disappointed" with the "needless" strike action during the busy summer period. "Our priority has been to try and minimise the impact of this strike action on our customers, which included cancelling some flights in advance to allow them to rearrange their travel plans."
