“noIn total, we had 52 protected flights [cancelados] And we operate 530 flights in Portugal, 80% of what was planned,” reads information sent to Lusa on the third and final day of the strike, demanding higher wages and better working conditions.
According to the company, on Saturday 16 out of 192 planned flights were canceled, and on Sunday 20 out of a total of 180 flights were cancelled.
“On Saturday we opened a new route, Porto – Naples. Regarding Faro, in particular, we operated 91% of the operation on Saturday (64 flights) and on Sunday we operated 90% of the operation, 56 flights).
The company claims to have occupied “more than 80% of its flight schedule” on April 1, 02 and 3.
Today, it is estimated that 77% of the country’s planned operation is secured.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to minimize the impact of the strike on customers. Passengers who have booked flights during the strike period also have the option to change their flight,” the company said in a statement.
EasyJet advises customers to check flight status on the flight tracker (https://www.easyjet.com/en/flight-tracker) and, if necessary, to make changes on the website (manage bookings tab).
“We are disappointed by this strike, especially considering the significant investment we have made in the country in recent years, which has created hundreds of new jobs in Portugal and we hope that SNPVAC will resume a constructive dialogue with us,” said the company.
The airline currently employs more than 750 people, of which about 534 are cabin crew.
Over the weekend, AFP reported the cancellation of dozens of flights, namely from Bastay (France), Birmingham (UK) and Basel (Switzerland), from Lisbon, as well as Madrid, from Porto, according to information from Aeroportos de Portugal (ANA) , which advised passengers to find out before heading to the airport.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, which oversees transportation, has established a service with a minimum of 54 trips, according to AFP.
For its part, EasyJet indicated that it was doing its best to “minimize the impact” of the measure, explaining that it had tried to anticipate the effects of the strike, canceling flights in advance and giving customers the possibility to change flights for free or get a refund.
According to the National Civil Aviation Employees Union, which called for the halt, the airline canceled 78 flights in the three days of the strike, which equates to about 30% of flights scheduled, at the time the strike notice was announced, in March. 17.
A union spokesman told AFP that the workers are calling for an increase in wages, which have been “frozen since 2019,” and for better working conditions.
On EasyJet’s network in Europe, they claim to be the “lowest paid”. They also claim to work longer hours, with fewer breaks.” But the company says it adheres to the country’s laws.
Also read: The beating continues on easyJet. Flights have been canceled at national airports
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