Just as the autumn school holidays begin, easyJet’s Portugal-based cabin-crew union SNPVAC has confirmed a five-day strike running 2–6 October. Although the walk-out targets the airline’s Lisbon, Porto and Faro bases, the ripple effects will be felt in Switzerland, where easyJet Europe operates up to six daily rotations to Portuguese destinations from Geneva and Basel and is launching a new Zurich–Pristina route later this month. Portugal’s labour ministry has imposed a minimum-service order covering select flights, but easyJet warns that up to 30 % of its network could be disrupted while it reallocates crews. Swiss passengers have been offered free re-booking or refunds, yet capacity on alternative carriers such as SWISS and TAP is already tight. Travel-risk consultants advise corporate travellers to switch to Lufthansa Group routings via Frankfurt or book rail-air alternatives through Paris should cancellations mount. For mobility managers, the episode highlights the growing frequency of ‘local’ strikes with international consequences. Businesses should keep an updated list of critical assignees, ensure they have EU261 claim guidelines at hand and remind employees that compensation claims must be filed within two years of the flight date. Negotiations over pay and roster stability between easyJet and SNPVAC are set to resume on 7 October, but the union has already filed a second strike notice for 19–23 December, threatening peak-season travel unless progress is made.
