EasyJet cancels 232 flights affecting airports across the UK as family holidays thrown into jeopardy

14 August 2024, 14:49 | Updated: 14 August 2024, 16:31

EasyJet has announced it's set to cancel 232 flights from airports across the UK putting hundreds of family holidays in jeopardy.

The cancellations are set to affect flights to and from Portugal following a major strike by cabin crew.

It means flights from major hubs including Glasgow, Manchester, London Gatwick, London and Bristol are set to be affected.

More than a quarter of all Portugal-bound planes due to take off will remain grounded between August 15 and August 17.

Easyjet has now labelled the strike action "needless", with the airline adding it was "extremely disappointed" by the actions of cabin crew.

Some of the airline's most popular routes - including Lisbon, Porto and Faro - are all set to be affected.

Located on Portugal's Southern Algarve coast, Faro has become one of the most popular destinations among Brits in recent years.

A total of 27 return flights between the UK and Portugal have been cancelled ahead of the strikes.

Read more: Ryanair cancels hundreds of flights because of air traffic control strikes, with up to 50,000 passengers affected

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It comes as Portuguese newspaper Lusa reported that EasyJet had 1,138 flights planned over this period.

The airline has now said that only 62 per cent of normal flights would operate over the three-day strike period.

Just last month Portugal's National Civil Aviation Flight Staff Union appealed to the "common sense of the company" when threatening strike action, "so that it can give in to fair demands of its workers".

It follows cabin crew union SNPVAC urging Easyjet to "find solutions to avoid" potential strike action.

A spokesperson told LBC: “We are extremely disappointed with this needless strike action, especially at this important time of the year for our customers.

“Our priority has been to try and minimise the impact of this strike action on our customers, which included cancelling some flights in advance in order to allow them to rearrange their travel plans.

"Customers whose flight has been affected have already been contacted a number of days ago with their 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.”