easyJet Portugal strike, 19 to 23 December 2026: flights and your rights

Published: October 28, 2026 · Last updated: October 28, 2026

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easyJet's cabin crew based in Lisbon, Porto and Faro will strike for five days, from Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 December 2026, at the start of the Christmas holidays. During their last strike, from 2 to 6 October, 370 flights were cancelled. Because the strike is by easyJet's own staff, passengers whose flight is cancelled or arrives 3 hours late are, as a rule, owed €250 or €400 in compensation, unless easyJet told them at least 14 days ahead.

Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.

What is planned

Cabin crew members of the SNPVAC union at easyJet's three Portuguese bases, Lisbon, Porto and Faro, voted unanimously in September for two strikes: from 2 to 6 October and from 19 to 23 December 2026. They point to unstable rosters, pressure to work overtime and the terms of their company agreement. The first strike went ahead; the second is still on.

Which flights are at risk

The strike concerns crews based in Portugal, so the flights at risk are mainly those leaving from or returning to Lisbon, Porto and Faro on easyJet aircraft based there. easyJet flights to Portugal flown by crews from other countries, from Paris, Geneva or London for example, are usually not affected. In October, easyJet planned 786 flights to and from Portugal during the strike and cut them to 442; the union counted 370 cancellations, 343 of them made before the strike started.

The minimum services

Portugal's labour authority (DGERT) has set minimum services for 19 to 23 December. They include:

two return flights a day between Lisbon and Funchal, and two between Porto and Funchal, plus Lisbon–Porto Santo on its scheduled day;
three return flights a day to Geneva and Basel, and three to French cities (Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Paris) where they are scheduled;
one return flight a day between Lisbon and London, flights to Luxembourg, and two return flights in all to Praia and São Vicente in Cape Verde.

These flights should operate; most others may not.

Compensation depends first on when you were told

If easyJet cancels your flight at least 14 days before departure, so by 5 December for a flight on 19 December and by 9 December for one on 23 December, no compensation is owed, although a refund or another flight still is. Between 7 and 14 days ahead, compensation is not owed if easyJet offers another flight leaving no more than 2 hours earlier and arriving less than 4 hours later than planned. In October, easyJet cancelled most flights in advance, so watch for its email.

A strike by easyJet's own staff

When an airline's own staff strike over their own working conditions, the Court of Justice of the European Union holds that this is not an extraordinary circumstance (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021). So if easyJet cancels your flight less than 14 days ahead, or it arrives 3 hours or more late, because of this strike, compensation is as a rule owed.

Your rights if your flight is cancelled

Whatever the notice, easyJet must offer you a full refund within 7 days or another flight to your destination, at the earliest opportunity or on a later date that suits you. If you wait at the airport for a replacement flight, it owes you meals and refreshments and, if needed, a hotel. Where compensation is owed, it is per passenger:

€250 up to 1,500 km, such as Lisbon to Funchal (about 965 km);
€400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, such as Faro to Paris-Orly (about 1,550 km) or Lisbon to Praia (about 3,000 km).

If your flight is delayed

If you reach your destination 3 hours or more late, the same amounts can apply (Court of Justice of the European Union, Sturgeon, C-402/07, 2009). What counts is when the aircraft doors open on arrival (Germanwings, C-452/13, 2014).

What to do now

If you are flying with easyJet from or to Portugal between 19 and 23 December, check your booking in the easyJet app regularly and keep every email about a cancellation or a new time: its date decides compensation. If your flight is cancelled, choose between the refund and another flight, keep your receipts, and check your flight with us: it takes two minutes and costs nothing unless we win.

Frequently asked questions

My easyJet flight is from Paris to Lisbon on 20 December. Is it affected?

Probably not, if it is flown by a crew based in France; the strike concerns crews based in Portugal. Your return flight from Lisbon is more at risk. Check your booking closer to the date.

easyJet has already cancelled my December flight. Am I owed anything?

A refund or another flight, always. Compensation is not owed if easyJet told you at least 14 days before departure; if it told you later, it may be.

If my flight is cancelled because of the strike, how much can I claim?

€250 per passenger for flights up to 1,500 km and €400 for longer ones, as a rule, because easyJet's own staff are striking. Not if you were told at least 14 days ahead.

easyJet offers me a voucher. Do I have to accept it?

No. You are entitled to your money back; a voucher replaces it only if you agree in writing.

Official sources

The texts this page is based on:

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