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TRAVEL NEWS

What passengers need to know about German airport strikes on Thursday

Around 1,100 flights will be cancelled across Germany on Thursday as security staff go on strike. Here's what passengers need to know if they're planning to fly.

Published: 31 January 2024 16:37 CET
Updated: 1 February 2024 10:50 CET
Passengers waiting
Passengers queue on Thursday at Düsseldorf's airport, where some flights were still operating. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg

The German labour union Verdi has called on aviation security staff at eleven major airports in Germany to go on strike for the whole day.

As a result, the airport association ADV estimates that around 1,100 flights will be canceled or delayed, affecting around 200,000 passengers.

READ ALSO: Airport chaos expected in Germany as security staff plan strikes on Thursday

Where will the strikes take place?

According to union Verdi, the actions will be taking place at the following airports: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hanover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden. 

Munich and Nuremberg airports are not affected by the Verdi strike, so it can be assumed that operations at both will continue as planned. Their aviation security staff are employed in the public sector, for which a different collective agreement applies. 

Several airports such as Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart have axed all take-offs, while Düsseldorf and Cologne say they want to maintain some operations.

Around 80 percent of the flight movements that were planned for Thursday in Cologne/Bonn were cancelled there, according to the airport website early Thursday morning.

In Düsseldorf, on the other hand, only a third of flight movements were cancelled, with two-thirds scheduled to take place throughout the day on Thursday.

When will the strikes begin?

The work stoppages at the Cologne/Bonn airport began Wednesday evening at 9 pm because there is no night flight ban there. The others started on Thursday morning.

Verdi representative Özay Tarim told DPA that they wanted to send out a clear signal. The employers had behaved “unacceptably” in the negotiations so far.

“We will now put pressure on the employers with employees so that we can finally make progress at the negotiating table,” he said.

Germany’s largest airport, Frankfurt, also planned to operate 1,050 flights on Thursday. German carrier Lufthansa said that it would fly most of its long-haul flights on Thursday. Shuttle flights for passengers transferring flights will also be offered.

However, there may be longer waiting times in the transit area. The company is offering free re-booking until February 8th. 

What to do if you have a flight booked for Thursday

Passengers for domestic German flights can exchange their ticket for a Deutsche Bahn ticket free of charge, regardless of whether their flight takes place or not.

If you have a flight scheduled, check the flight’s status before travelling to the airport.

Information on Lufthansa flights is updated on their website, and can be re-booked through the Service Centre.

According to EU rules, airlines must either refund or reschedule flights for passengers when flights are cancelled, even if it means using a different carrier. You may also be entitled to additional compensation or accommodation expenses.

Due to the strike, Lufthansa has offered free rebookings for customers on flights departing before or after February 1st for the period between January 30th and February 8th. This also applies to international travellers with a connection at Frankfurt Airport.

If you are booked on a domestic flight, you may be able to find a train to your destination instead. Lufthansa allows customers to swap airfare for a train ticket freely on their website.

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

‘Too many strikes’: Criticism of latest action

Aviation security staff are active at checkpoints for passengers, baggage and staff. Without them, normal operations would not be possible. Air traffic is therefore likely to be paralysed in large parts of Germany. 

Verdi is demanding, among other things, higher salaries for the approximately 25,000 employees nationwide.

German airline Lufthansa has suspended flights to Lebanon.

German airline Lufthansa. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel told DPA that a solution should be sought “at the negotiating table” and not at the expense of passengers.

Beisel added that the constant wave of strikes around Germany was having a damaging effect on the economy. 

The drivers’ union GDL wrapped up a five-day strike early Monday morning for all long-distance and regional train transport.

And on this upcoming Friday, local transport around Germany we be largely halted as Verdi called on workers from various transport associations to down their tools in the latest push for better pay and working conditions.

“We see strike announcements almost daily in Germany to the detriment of mobility and the economy. This must be stopped,” said Beisel.

READ ALSO: Where will public transport in Germany be affected by strikes on Friday?

What are security workers demanding?

On behalf of the workers, Verdi is demanding €2.80 more pay per hour, higher function bonuses and overtime pay from the first hour of overtime. The new collective agreement is set to run for one year. 

Currently, aviation security assistants in the lowest pay group earn €20.60 per hour, which adds up to a gross salary of just under €3,300 for 160 monthly working hours. In addition, there are bonuses for night work, Sundays and public holidays as well as overtime. 

The demand takes into account the loss of purchasing power due to inflation and includes a wage increase, explained Verdi.

According to the employers from the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS), the security workers have been offered four percent more pay for this year and three percent for next year. In addition, overtime bonuses are to be paid earlier than before. 

Verdi’s demands add up to €250 million in additional costs this year alone, said a BDLS spokesperson.  Contrary to the union’s claims, not every wage increase can be refinanced via aviation security fees.

The wage negotiations are to continue on February 6th and 7th in Berlin.

The last time there were warning strikes in aviation security was in spring 2023 – with a significant impact on operations.

READ ALSO: The strikes that could hit life in Germany in 2024

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For members

EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How Europe’s new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

When the EU’s Entry / Exit System (EES) is introduced it will end the stamping of passports for non-EU travellers. Passengers arriving at Europe's airports should be aware of the changes.

Published: 28 May 2024 17:02 CEST
How Europe's new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

The EU’s biometric EES checks has been designed to record the details of all third-country nationals entering and exiting the European Union – that is, all non-EU or Schengen Area citizens – although non-EU residents living in EU / Schengen countries and those travelling on visas are exempt.

For air passengers, alongside flight and baggage data, the checks will contain biometric information such as fingerprints, facial photographs, and passport details from the RFID chips included in the document. 

It has been designed primarily to provide a better picture of the number of travellers overstaying the Schengen area’s 90-day rule, a perennial issue for EU states. It will also help to combat terrorism and organised crime by flagging individuals with criminal or terrorist convictions and notifying authorities. 

The current system of rubber stamps on a page in your passport will be replaced by an automated scan.

Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU countries who won’t apply EES but their citizens will nevertheless be exempt. Switzerland and Norway are among the 29 countries who will be part of the EES system.

Pre-flight

It’s already the case that airline passengers have to provide certain information to their airline before they fly such as their name, date of birth and passport number – this is known as Advanced Passenger Information (API).

Although border force officers conduct in-person passport checks on arrival, airlines also have a responsibility not to allow ineligible passengers to board the plane – for example people who don’t have a valid passport. Airlines can be fined if their allow ineligible passengers on board, which is why gate checks are strict.

Because EES requires extra information, it seems likely that the pre-flight API required by your airline will become more detailed – and could also include your residency status (ie if you have a residency card or long-stay visa for an EU country).

Airlines will be required to get verification from the EES system before they allow each passenger to board – something that airlines are worried about (see below).

How will the EES work at the airport?

Remember EES checks are only when you are crossing an external Schengen border – so if you fly in from the US to Germany and when you leave the Schengen area. If during the trip you take another flight within the Schengen area – Germany to Sweden for example – you won’t need to do the EES checks.

As outlined above, it’s likely that passengers will be required to provide extra data for EES checks prior to travel – such as basic personal information, reason for travel etc. An EU app is being created and currently being tested at Stockholm airport that will allow for EES registration.

However the biometric data – fingerprints and facial scans – must be provided in person in the presence of a border guard, so will have to be done on arrival.

Once arriving in an EU member state or Schengen Area country from the outside, travellers must pass through checks at the airport, before they cross the border into their destination country. 

This will be done at electronic gates or ‘e-gates’.

The first time a traveller enters an EU country after the EES is established, they must be fingerprinted, have their photograph taken, and have their passport details read. 

This registration process will take place at several purpose-built kiosks in the airport arrival area. Passengers will scan their own documents and share their biometric data, plus answer a few necessary questions, under the supervision of border security officers. 

The process is expected to take between ninety seconds and two minutes per person.

Once travellers have had their fingerprints and photographs taken, they will be valid for three years, and the full process will not need to be repeated. 

However, if a traveller receives a new passport during that time, they will need to have new fingerprints and photographs taken. 

Will it affect travel plans and airport queues?

While the EU has stated that there shouldn’t be any significant delays at airports, others have expressed concerns that travellers could face long queues.

The British travel association ABTA warned that travellers could be held up at kiosks for several minutes. 

Concerns have also been voiced that efforts to communicate what the new system means have not reached the public—a study carried out in April found that two-thirds of adults across the UK are unaware of the system. 

Airlines are also concerned about the system for people who are exempt from EES registration – such as people who have a residence permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

According to the International Air Transport Association, these groups will have to indicate on their Advance Passenger Information that they are exempt, and then have their visa or residency card checked at the boarding gate, which could add significant time to boarding.

No more last minute flights?

As well as added complexity and time for the boarding process, airlines say that this, could spell the end of last-minute flights.

Airlines will be required to verify before departure the travel eligibility of passengers by sending verification queries to the EES system. This will respond whether they are “OK” or “NOT OK” for boarding. Airlines will be liable if they allow non-compliant passengers on board.

The IATA has raised the alarm about the reliability of the system, as well as the time required to get advance verification.

The deadline – which has been reported as being up to 48 hours before take-off “is too long” and “will preclude late ticket sales,” according to a document submitted by Ryanair Holdings plc, the parent company of Ryanair, Buzz, Lauda and Malta Air, to the UK’s House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee.

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