easyJet's Portugal-based cabin crew began a five-day strike on Friday, October 2, and their union says 443 flights from the airline's bases in Lisbon, Porto and Faro have already been cancelled. The strike runs through Tuesday, October 6.

The SNPVAC union says the cancellations represent about 80 percent of the flights the crews at the three bases were due to operate. The walkout was called over schedule stability, seniority-based pay progression and terms of a new company agreement.

easyJet says it expects to operate about 55 percent of its Portuguese schedule during the strike. The airline says minimum-service rules cover about 22 percent of its Portugal-based activity, with the rest flown by crews from other European bases.

The union calls the use of replacement crews illegal. Union official Ana Dias said crews arrived in Porto from France to operate flights in place of strikers, and the union plans to complain to the labour authority and go to court. A second five-day strike is already scheduled for December 19 to 23, threatening Christmas travel.

Sources: aviationa2z.com; byteseu.com; theportugalbrief.pt.