Sydney Airport Screeners Plan Another Strike on Friday, October 30, and Jetstar and Virgin Australia Are Letting Flyers Switch Dates

Security screeners at Sydney Airport plan to strike again on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to travel alerts from Jetstar and Virgin Australia. Both airlines are letting passengers booked out of Sydney that day move to a neighboring date, and Jetstar says it will do so at no extra cost.

It would be the third round of action by Certis security staff at the airport, after walkouts in late September and on October 16. The dispute is between the screeners, their employer Certis and the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU).

What the airlines are telling passengers

Virgin Australia says the action involves “some employees of Certis, Sydney Airport’s security screening provider.” Its notice says screening will stay open during both windows but may run at reduced capacity.

Virgin customers booked to depart Sydney on October 30 can switch to Thursday, October 29, or Saturday, October 31. Changes go through the Guest Contact Centre or a travel agent, at least 60 minutes before a Virgin-operated flight and three hours before an international flight on a partner airline.

Jetstar’s travel alert, updated on October 28, warns that customers leaving from the domestic Terminal 2 may face delays getting through the airport and to their gates. It lets customers move to an available flight between October 29 and October 31 through Manage Booking, at no extra cost.

Jetstar also suggests that travelers who want to avoid the disruption pick a flight outside the two windows. Both carriers advise arriving early, and Jetstar recommends checking in online first.

AeroCorner did not find a matching notice on Qantas’s travel alerts page when it checked on October 28. AeroCorner also found no statement on the October 30 dates from the TWU or from Sydney Airport.

What happened at the last strike

The October 16 action went ahead as announced, with hundreds of Certis workers walking out from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. across the domestic and international terminals, the TWU said that day. Bargaining talks the day before had failed to stop it, as AeroCorner reported ahead of that strike.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told AAP that Certis had pressed ahead with plans to cut minimum hours by six a week. “Sydney Airport has squeezed Certis so hard that it wants to turn these jobs into scraps of gig work with no stability,” he said.

Certis told AAP it had put a fresh offer to staff that Thursday. “We are disappointed that, with that offer on the table, the TWU has chosen instead to proceed with industrial action that affects the travelling public,” a spokesperson said.

Sydney Airport, which is not a party to the talks, said it was working with its partners to minimize disruption. AeroCorner found no published figures on how long security lines ran on October 16.

Shorter windows, earlier starts

The new stoppages are an hour shorter than the October 16 blocks, three hours each instead of four. Both also start earlier: the morning window at 5 a.m. rather than 6 a.m., and the evening one at 4:30 p.m. rather than 5 p.m.

Airport screening in Australia is a contracted service, not a government one. Airports and their service providers deliver passenger screening, while the Department of Home Affairs sets the requirements, the department says.

That is why the union has kept pressing Sydney Airport rather than only Certis. Its argument is that the airport’s contract terms set the ceiling on what Certis can offer the people doing the screening.

The notice rule is one reason the times are known days ahead. Protected industrial action needs a secret ballot and written notice to the employer, generally at least three working days in advance, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The screeners are not the only aviation workers in dispute this week. Qantas ground workers were due to strike for 24 hours on Wednesday, October 28, at five airports including Sydney, the TWU said, and Virgin Australia cabin crew have started down the path toward industrial action.

What Friday flyers should do

If you fly out of Sydney early on Friday morning or in the late afternoon, the simplest fix is a move to Thursday or Saturday, or to a flight outside the two windows. Jetstar handles that in Manage Booking; Virgin Australia asks you to call 13 67 89 in Australia.

If you keep your flight, check in online and leave extra time for security. Our guide to how early to arrive covers the bag-drop and boarding cutoffs that matter more than any rule of thumb.