easyJet cabin crew in Portugal plan strike from 19 to 23 December at Lisbon, Porto and Faro bases

easyJet cabin crew based in Portugal have approved strike action from 19 to 23 December, in the days before Christmas, the Portuguese cabin crew union SNPVAC announced. The strike covers crew working from easyJet's bases in Porto, Lisbon and Faro.

The December stoppage is the second of two periods approved by the crew at an emergency general assembly. The first ran from 2 to 6 October. When it announced the action, the union estimated that about 500 scheduled flights would be affected in October and said it expected the December figure to be considerably higher because of the extra flights operated over the festive period.

SNPVAC said working conditions for easyJet cabin crew in Portugal continue to deteriorate and that it had warned the airline repeatedly without meaningful change. The union said minimum services for both strike periods would be negotiated.

The strike falls in one of the busiest travel weeks of the year and can affect passengers flying to and from the three Portuguese bases, including travellers from other countries on easyJet routes into Lisbon, Porto and Faro. The union's announcement does not list individual flights, and it is not yet established which services will operate, whether the strike will go ahead in full or how many flights will be cancelled. Passengers booked with easyJet between 19 and 23 December should watch for messages from the airline and check their flight status before travelling to the airport.