EasyJet cancels 100 French flights as cabin crew strike over schedule chaos
EasyJet canceled about 100 flights from French airports on August 15-16 as cabin crew struck over constant last-minute schedule changes, with more than half of the airline's 900 France-based crew joining the walkout.
Strike grounds weekend flights
EasyJet canceled about 100 flights from French airports on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, as cabin crew walked out over what unions describe as constant, last-minute schedule changes. The British low-cost carrier announced the cancellations on Friday, August 14, offering affected passengers free rebooking or refunds. The strike comes during one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.
More than half of easyJet's roughly 900 France-based cabin crew declared themselves as strikers, according to William Bourdon, a representative of the SNPNC-FO union. Bourdon said half of Saturday's flights departing from France would be canceled. The French daily Les Echos, cited by the EFE agency, reported that 39 flights from French airports had already been canceled on Saturday, with a similar number expected for return flights on Sunday. Six round-trip flights between France and Portugal were among those scrapped.
Schedules "changed 50 to 60 times a week"
The core grievance is schedule instability. Unions say easyJet operates a network system where staff are shuffled between bases to cover gaps, creating a chain of reassignments. Bourdon cited the example of a flight attendant who planned a Lyon-Bordeaux rotation, only to learn the day before she would be based in Porto for four days, then have her schedule changed again at the last minute to fly between Lyon, Nantes, and Marrakech.
Our main demand is the stability of schedules. For example, at bases like Lyon, some cabin crew have 50 or even 60 schedule changes per week.
Bourdon added that most changes arrive 24 to 48 hours before departure, making personal life and childcare arrangements extremely difficult to organize. He described the system as a permanent game of musical chairs.
Three unions, one strike notice
The strike is backed by three unions representing cabin crew: SNPNC-FO, UNAC-CFE-CGC, and UNPNC-CFDT. The inter-union called the action on Wednesday, August 12, after talks with management over working conditions broke down. French sources report the strike was called for August 14 and 15, while Portuguese sources cite August 15 and 16. The unions had previously filed a strike notice covering the period from August 7 to September 2, citing a "continuous degradation" of working conditions, which leaves open the possibility of further walkouts in the coming weeks.
- Three unions file strike notice covering Aug 7 to Sep 2, citing 'continuous degradation' of working conditions
- Inter-union calls strike after talks with management fail
- EasyJet announces preventive cancellation of about 100 flights for Aug 15-16, calls strike 'opportunistic'
- Strike action begins; 39 flights from French airports canceled (per Les Echos)
- New negotiations between easyJet and unions planned
Company response and what's next
EasyJet said it was contacting affected customers directly and offering alternative options including free transfers to other flights or refunds. The airline called the strike "opportunistic" for occurring during a period of high demand and said it was called outside any formal negotiation process, despite the company having presented proposals to address union concerns. EasyJet operates at Paris Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux, and Nice in France.
The company indicated that new negotiations are planned for September and urged the unions to suspend the strike. France is one of easyJet's main markets in continental Europe, where the British carrier has expanded operations in recent years. The airline employs several thousand workers in France, with a significant portion serving as cabin crew.
