USO fails to seal a deal with EasyJet as talks continue under SIMA mediation
At a session organized by the Confederacion Mediation and Arbitration Service, SIMA, the United States of Spain Organization workers and EasyJet faced a stalemate over collective bargaining. The discussions followed a nine‑day strike threat issued to EasyJet’s Spanish cabin crew, including crews across key bases. EasyJet operates routes linking Alicante-Elche with the United Kingdom and Switzerland, while authorities in Alicante-Elche have noted that pauses in traffic could affect regional operations. Most of EasyJet’s connections run directly to UK airports.
Strike call details and base presence in Spain
The USO press release announced strike actions for days 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30 and 31 July. The carrier maintains bases at Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga and Palma de Mallorca with a fleet distribution of six, seven and five aircraft respectively for 24 hours. Notably, Alicante-Elche airport hosts no EasyJet base.
Approximately 450 airline employees were identified by union representatives as the target of the strike action. The union also stated a willingness to persevere with negotiations up to 30 June.
During the talks, Miguel Galán, USO Secretary General for EasyJet in Málaga, highlighted that basic salaries for Spanish airline crew sit around 950 euros, with a gap of about 850 euros below the base wages observed in France or Germany, a situation the union described as approaching the interprofessional minimum wage levels.
Queues at Alicante-Elche and wage expectations
Queues at Alicante-Elche airport have been reported for up to an hour due to passport control delays for British travelers. In response to wage disparities, the union argued that reaching the level of wages in France would require significant increases. The USO is pursuing a wage uplift of roughly 40 percent of the base salary, plus adjustments tied to flight hours. In addition, the union seeks enhancements such as a higher base salary, seniority payments, a cost‑of‑living adjustment aligned with CPI, compensation for training hours, and coverage of maintenance costs for crew on refresher courses outside national borders.
The proposed package also includes work time caps comparable to international norms, rest periods, and a scheduled refresh of uniforms and footwear as part of annual renewals.
Pilot program at Alicante-Elche to boost service for passengers with reduced mobility
Ryanair has indicated it will respond to the crew shortage impacting rivals by expanding capacity. The Irish carrier plans to add around 200 more flights this summer, according to Preferred. The airline states it aims to assist travelers affected by the sector’s crisis, though full capacity constraints remain a factor, with cancellations impacting EasyJet, British Airways and, to a lesser extent, Tui.
Ryanair’s spokesperson noted ongoing collaboration with more than 100 partner companies and stressed a continuous expansion across its 19 UK airports to support customers of other carriers. The post‑pandemic mobility rebound has led to a swift return toward pre‑pandemic levels in several metrics. In the first five months of the year, operations nearly recovered to 2019 levels as data earlier in 2024 show solid passenger numbers and flight activity.
May brought optimistic signals for travel demand, even as uncertainty persisted. Airport operators and tourism employers are watching June closely, with bookings trending higher. Aena expected a busy weekend with hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of passengers across major hubs. Projections for the season estimate a total of about 12 million seats, reflecting a 2.2 percent rise versus the 2019 peak before the pandemic. The European Union’s rules shape scheduling and capacity planning for the coming weeks, though numbers exclude ongoing flight itineraries to and from Ukraine and Russia, where the conflict could affect tourism flows. Overall, Europe remains the strongest region for capacity, with Spain contributing a substantial share of seats and Africa reporting notable gains in connectivity through cities such as Tetouan, Fez, Casablanca and Marrakech.