easyJet Strike Threatens Faro Flights Over the October Long Weekend

Cabin crew at easyJet in Portugal have voted to strike from 2 to 6 October, a five day walkout that lands squarely on the Republic Day bank holiday weekend. The National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel, SNPVAC, says the action was approved unanimously at a general meeting on 17 September, and estimates that around 500 scheduled flights across the airline's Lisbon, Porto and Faro bases could be affected.

The timing matters for Algarve families. 5 October falls on a Monday this year, so it already gives an automatic long weekend without anyone needing to book a day off. The union says the dispute centres on unstable rosters, pay terms it considers worse than those agreed for pilots, and pressure on crew to take on extra flying for commercial reasons.

SNPVAC has also called a second, separate strike for 19 to 23 December, which it expects to cause even greater disruption given the volume of Christmas travel through Faro. This is a dedicated easyJet dispute rather than a general strike, and at five days it is a longer, more targeted action than the single day of disruption crews saw when they joined a general strike back in June. At the time of writing, the minimum service levels that must be guaranteed during the October strike, which determine how many flights are protected from cancellation, had not yet been published.

If you or family are booked on an easyJet flight to or from Faro between 2 and 6 October, do not assume it will run as normal: keep checking your booking and easyJet’s flight updates as the dates approach.

If your flight is affected, EU passenger-rights rules may give you important protections. If easyJet cancels your flight, you are entitled to choose between reimbursement and rerouting, and the airline may also have to provide meals, accommodation and transport where necessary.

Passengers may also be entitled to compensation of €250, €400 or €600 depending on the flight distance and circumstances. Under EU case law, a strike by an airline’s own staff over employment conditions is not generally considered an “extraordinary circumstance”, although eligibility for compensation still depends on the individual circumstances, including when you were notified of the cancellation.

If you incur reasonable expenses while waiting for an alternative flight, keep all receipts and documentation.

Families with plans over the December school holidays should also note the 19 to 23 December dates now, since this is the airline's second walkout of the year in Portugal and talks between SNPVAC and easyJet remain unresolved. Travel insurance that explicitly covers strike disruption is worth checking before you book anything new for either period.