Several cancellations and delays at Barcelona airport as EasyJet cabin crew strike
11 operations called off at Barcelona as of 7 pm as workers call for improved conditions
Travelers landing or departing from Barcelona airport on Sunday flying with EasyJet may have seen their holidays and trips abruptly changed. During the weekend, airline staff is on strike to call for improved working conditions, while on Saturday there were minor incidents, the last day of the week has been a different situation.
As of 7 pm, 11 flights had been canceled at the Barcelona El Prat airport.
Meanwhile, another 11 flights - 6 departures and 5 arrivals - were delayed.
The Easyjet strike is set to last until July 31 but only during weekends. Therefore, travelers flying with the British airline could face complications Sunday 17, and from Friday 29 to Sunday 31.
The airport is also facing strikes from Ryanair workers, but these only go from Monday to Friday.
Dispute
In a statement, USO union condemned the "blocked impasse" that the staff faces. The union wants workers to have salaries similar to other company staff based in other European countries such as Germany or France.
"The company does not have any interest in improving working conditions of the Spanish cabin crew," the union claimed in June when announcing the protests. There are over 450 cabin crew members called to strike, including those at the Barcelona El Prat airport.
The airline has reported that there will be flight "interruptions" at the Catalan airport as well as Palma de Mallorca and Malaga. However, they announced that they will do "everything possible" to minimize these interruptions.
"Spain’s cabin crew team has the lowest basic income of all European Easyjet hubs," USO said. Income is around €850 lower than other countries on the continent. "If you fly a lot of hours, you end up paying your invoices but reducing your break time and doing a higher number of flight hours."