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STRIKES

How Lufthansa pilot strike is affecting travel in Germany

More than 800 flights have been cancelled to and from Germany, affecting around 130,000 passengers as Lufthansa pilots walk out over a pay dispute. Here's the latest.

Published: 2 September 2022 09:47 CEST
A departure board at Frankfurt airport in September 2022shows cancelled flights after Lufthansa pilots walked out on strike.
A departure board at Frankfurt airport shows cancelled flights after Lufthansa pilots walked out on strike. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

What’s happening?

The pilot union Cockpit has called a full-day strike, urging around 5,000 Lufthansa pilots to walk out on Friday. 

The move came after pay negotiations between the union representing staff and the German airline collapsed. 

Who is affected?

Lufthansa announced on Thursday that more than 800 flights would be cancelled, affecting around 130,000 passengers. The airline has axed “almost all” of its flights to and from its main German hubs in Munich and Frankfurt on Friday.

A notice on Munich airport’s website said: “As a result (of the strike), there will be delays in operations and flight cancellations. All travellers who have planned a Lufthansa flight from Munich during the strike period are asked to check the current flight status with their airline or tour operator well in advance.”

Frankfurt airport also warned of cancellations throughout the day on Friday. 

There may also be follow-up cancellations or delays at the weekend, and some connections were also cancelled on Thursday, Lufthansa said. 

The walkout officially began at one minute past midnight. In the early hours of Friday, the first scheduled connections in Frankfurt and Munich were shown on the departure boards as being cancelled. 

READ ALSO: Lufthansa cancels ‘almost all’ flights in Germany over strike

Passengers have been urged not to come to airports, but to switch to taking the train or move their flights to another day.

They are entitled to refunds – and possibly compensation – in the event of cancellations or long delays.

“The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit has called on Lufthansa cockpit staff to go on strike for one day,” said Lufthansa in a statement. “For this reason, there will be a major restriction in the Lufthansa flight programme on Friday, 2nd September.  All affected guests with contact details in the booking were informed via SMS or mail.”

As it’s the last holiday weekend before schools return in the German states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, many families with young children will also be affected.

READ ALSO: What are your rights in Germany if your flight is delayed or cancelled?

Passengers wait at Frankfurt airport on Friday morning.

Passengers wait at Frankfurt airport on Friday morning. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

According to the Vereinigung Cockpit union, only Lufthansa’s core airline and Lufthansa Cargo departures from German airports will be subject to the strike.

Subsidiaries Eurowings, Lufthansa Cityline and Eurowings Discover are not affected by the industrial action and are expected to fly as scheduled.

The same applies to foreign Lufthansa subsidiaries such as Swiss, Austrian or Brussels.

Lufthansa flights from non-German departure points will also take place, provided aircraft and crews are already abroad, the firm said. 

Passengers are asked to check Lufthansa’s site for more information.

Why are pilots striking?

The pilot union Cockpit is seeking a 5.5 percent wage increase by the end of the year, automatic compensation for inflation and an adjustment of its salary grid.

Lufthansa said the entire package sought by the union would raise pilot staff costs by 40 percent or €900 million.

The union argued ahead of the strike that to avert labour disputes, the airline must “present a significantly improved offer”.

But Lufthansa slammed the industrial action call by the pilots’ union.

“We lack any understanding for the VC’s strike call,” Chief Human Resources Officer Michael Niggemann said on Thursday. “The employer side has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the lingering burdens of the Covid crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy.”

In July, the Verdi union called a strike urging Lufthansa ground crew staff to walkout which resulted in more than 1,000 flights being cancelled and around 134,000 passengers having to change their plans. They later managed to reach a deal, averting more strikes. 

READ ALSO: Lufthansa strike causes travel turmoil in Germany

It comes amid a summer of chaos for air travel in Germany and Europe. Airports and airlines have struggled with staff shortages following the lifting of pandemic restrictions and subsequent boost in demand for global travel. Many companies had sacked staff – or had seen their staff leave to find other jobs – during the pandemic. 

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STRIKES

Where public transport strikes are taking place in Germany this week

Passengers travelling on local public transportation in Baden-Württemberg are facing major disruption as strikes take place. Strikes are also affecting other areas including Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony.

Published: 18 April 2024 16:39 CEST
Updated: 19 April 2024 15:31 CEST
Where public transport strikes are taking place in Germany this week

It’s not a good week for those taking public transport in many parts of Germany, as various strikes have been called. 

All day on Thursday and Friday, local public transport was set to come to a standstill in parts of Baden-Württemberg due to strikes amid collective bargaining negotiations for around 6,500 employees. 

Trade union Verdi called for workers in seven cities to stage a ‘warning strike’ starting early on Thursday morning, resulting in a large number of buses, trains and Stadtbahn services being cancelled. 

Local public transport companies in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Constance are affected by the action. 

But it’s not just southern Germany affected. Bus drivers with private operators are also on strike in Rhineland-Palatinate this week. The cities of Koblenz, Worms, Zweibrücken and Mainz are affected, as well as intercity traffic in many regions.

There is also a partial strike on local public transport in Saxony. Disruption is to be expected in Dresden, Zwickau and Chemnitz. 

READ ALSO: Why Germany is being hit by strikes almost every day

What’s happening in Baden-Württemberg?

Verdi said it expected major disruption to local public transport on both Thursday and Friday as collective bargaining rounds continue. 

More traffic was also expected on the roads due to the strikes. At rush-hour in Stuttgart, roads were more packed than usual. 

The Stuttgarter Verkehrsbetriebe (VVS) said on its website that the “buses and light rail of SSB AG, as well as the buses of the SVE in Esslingen, are affected.

“S-Bahn, regional trains, secondary railway lines, buses in the network districts and replacement rail buses are not affected.”

Stuttgart city centre

Stuttgart’s city centre. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marijan Murat

In Freiburg there are no trams on both days and only a few buses running, such as lines 15 and 32.

There are no city buses or trams in Heilbronn. However, the regional bus service and the SWHN night service called “Buddy” are not affected.

From Thursday morning, city buses in Constance were also at a standstill and the car ferry to Meersburg was not running.

In Karlsruhe, AVG light rail services are not affected by the strike.

Many school leavers will have to look for alternatives. That’s because the strike coincides with the start of the end of school year examinations, known as Abitur in Germany. 

Exams including biology, history and French are taking place on these two days.

Due to the industrial action, students in Baden-Württemberg are allowed to arrive up to 30 minutes late for Abitur exams, but there will be no cancellations.

READ ALSO: German public transport strikes taking place across Germany

What’s happening elsewhere in Germany?

Since Wednesday, very few buses have been running in districts in Saxony due to a strike called by Verdi, that’s due to end early on Sunday morning. 

Those affected include local transport companies in Dresden, Görlitz, Meißen, the Regiobus Mittelsachsen GmbH, the regional transport Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains and Zwickau as well as in parts of the cities of Chemnitz (Euro Traffic Partner) and Plauen (Straßenbahn-Bus GmbH).

There is still no all-clear for the strike involving private bus companies in Rhineland-Palatinate. Anyone who relies on the bus here will have to look for alternatives this week. Verdi has called on all members who are employed by a private bus company under a collective agreement to go on strike for a week – and it doesn’t end until the early hours of Monday, April 22nd.

In Mainz, the strike affects the DB Regio Bus Mitte bus lines.

But it’s not just cities affected. Transport in many regions in Rhineland-Palatinate, such as the Westerwald, the Southern Palatinate and the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, is also at a standstill.

This comes amid a wave of strike action in Germany, which has been going on for months.

But in North Rhine-Westphalia, commuters can breathe a sigh of relief – at least for now. Verdi has agreed to arbitration proceedings to try and reach a decision in the collective bargaining negotiations. Strikes have been suspended for the time being since Wednesday.

Most recently, strikes in Düsseldorf, Essen, Bielefeld, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld and Bochum, among others, led to significant disruptions in public transport.

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