easyJet cabin crew strike cancels 204 flights in Spain over three disruptive days, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to rebook at short notice.
The industrial action, led by Spain’s USO union, has become a major flashpoint in ongoing tensions over pay and working conditions for easyJet’s Spain-based flight attendants. With no resolution yet reached between the low-cost airline’s management and its cabin crew representatives, fears are mounting that further strikes—including a potential indefinite stoppage in July and August—could create even greater turmoil for summer travel in one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations.
As of Friday, June 27, the final scheduled day of the current strike, easyJet confirmed 80 flight cancellations across its four main Spanish bases: Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Alicante, and Málaga.
Combined with cancellations over the previous two days, the total number of grounded flights reached 204, including both outbound and return services. The strike has hit some of Spain’s busiest airports during the crucial early summer holiday season, disrupting travel plans for families, business travellers, and tourists alike and threatening the country’s fragile tourism recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to easyJet, Friday’s 80 cancelled flights involved 40 roundtrip routes across the airline’s Spanish network. The strike’s impact was most heavily felt in Palma de Mallorca, where 17 cancelled routes included major connections to Geneva, Basel, Naples, Berlin, Bordeaux, Zurich, Nice, London Gatwick, Palermo, Nantes, Toulouse, Leeds Bradford, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. As the busiest of easyJet’s Spanish bases, Palma’s cancellations disrupted access to one of Spain’s most in-demand island destinations during peak travel season.
In Málaga, 11 routes were cancelled, impacting flights to Geneva, London Gatwick, Basel, Zurich, Bristol, Marrakech, Manchester, and Nantes. Málaga Airport, a key gateway to Spain’s Costa del Sol, saw significant passenger disruption as holidaymakers faced delays, rebookings, and in many cases last-minute changes to their travel plans. Alicante was also affected, with four routes cancelled to Bristol, Basel, Southend, and Lyon. Barcelona, another major hub for easyJet, experienced cancellations on eight routes including Berlin, Basel, Strasbourg, Naples, Geneva, Lisbon, and Nice.
Here is a summary of Friday’s cancelled routes by base:
| Airport | Cancelled Routes |
|---|---|
| Palma de Mallorca | 17 routes including Geneva, Basel, Naples, Berlin, Bordeaux, Zurich, Nice, London Gatwick, Palermo, Nantes, Toulouse, Leeds Bradford, Paris CDG |
| Málaga | 11 routes including Geneva, London Gatwick, Basel, Zurich, Bristol, Marrakech, Manchester, Nantes |
| Alicante | 4 routes including Bristol, Basel, Southend, Lyon |
| Barcelona | 8 routes including Berlin, Basel, Strasbourg, Naples, Geneva, Lisbon, Nice |
Passengers at these airports reported long queues, limited rebooking options, and challenges securing alternate flights on short notice as other carriers quickly filled remaining seats during the high-demand travel period. easyJet worked to provide affected customers with rebooking alternatives, refunds, and compensation where legally required under EU261 regulations, but the overall disruption underscored the vulnerability of budget airline schedules to industrial action.
Union demands for pay parity drive strike action
The strike was organised by the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), one of Spain’s largest trade unions, to protest what it describes as unfairly low pay and poor working conditions for easyJet’s Spain-based cabin crew compared to colleagues in other European countries. According to USO, easyJet flight attendants in Spain are often paid little more than the country’s minimum wage despite working for a pan-European airline that applies different wage structures in different markets.
Pier Luigi Copello, the general secretary of USO at easyJet Spain, highlighted the cost-of-living crisis in many Spanish cities where easyJet operates. “The workforce is demanding fair and equitable working conditions, in line with the European standards that easyJet maintains in other countries, given the exorbitant increase in the cost of living in Spain,” Copello explained. He pointed in particular to rising housing and living costs in Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, and Alicante, all cities with thriving tourism economies that have seen significant price inflation in recent years.
USO’s central demand is for easyJet to equalise Spanish cabin crew pay with that of other European bases, arguing that crew members perform identical duties regardless of country but face vastly different salaries and conditions. The union’s negotiating position has drawn strong support from many of Spain’s cabin crew, who see the summer as a vital opportunity to put pressure on the airline given the high stakes of the holiday season for easyJet’s profitability and schedule reliability.
Airline’s response and risk of further disruption
For its part, easyJet’s management has defended its pay practices by pointing to local labour market conditions and contract structures. The company maintains that direct pay comparisons across different countries are not meaningful because each national operation is subject to local wage agreements, labour laws, and cost bases. This position has so far failed to convince union leaders, and negotiations between management and USO appear to have stalled, leaving open the possibility of continued unrest.
While the current strike was planned as a three-day action ending on June 27, USO has not ruled out further stoppages in the coming weeks and months. The union has even threatened the possibility of an indefinite strike in August if no agreement is reached—a scenario that could have major consequences for Spain’s tourism sector at the absolute peak of the summer travel season. Such an escalation would not only harm easyJet’s operations but could ripple out to airports, hotels, and local tourism businesses that depend on consistent, reliable air access for millions of visitors each month.
Spain is one of easyJet’s most important markets, with the airline operating extensive domestic and international connections linking Spanish resorts and cities with the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, and other key markets. Any prolonged labour dispute risks weakening Spain’s competitive position as a seamless, visitor-friendly destination just as the industry continues its recovery from the long-lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Broader impact on Spain’s tourism sector
Spain’s tourism industry has been keenly watching the strike situation, with fears that any escalation could damage the country’s reputation for reliability and service quality during the critical summer months. Tourism remains one of Spain’s largest economic sectors, accounting for over 12% of GDP and supporting millions of jobs, many of them seasonal and dependent on a successful high season. Disruption to air travel, especially among budget-conscious visitors who rely on low-cost carriers like easyJet, could reduce visitor numbers, compress spending, and strain already stretched local services.
In the short term, the strike has already caused significant inconvenience for passengers, including families with children, elderly travellers, and tourists with non-refundable hotel and excursion bookings. Local businesses in Palma, Málaga, Alicante, and Barcelona have expressed concern about the knock-on effects if cancellations continue, warning that fewer arrivals mean reduced demand for restaurants, shops, taxis, and cultural attractions that depend heavily on tourist traffic.
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities and tourism industry groups are urging both sides to come to an agreement to prevent further damage to the country’s image as a leading global destination. With the spectre of an August strike looming, the pressure is mounting on easyJet and USO to return to the bargaining table, address pay grievances, and ensure that travel disruptions do not extend into the heart of the summer season.
