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Germany braces for new week of strikes in rail and air travel

Germans faced more travel upheaval after train drivers announced Sunday a new 24-hour stoppage, hot on the heels of a strike announcement by Lufthansa cabin crew.

Rostock train station
A man waits for a regional train, operated by Deutsche Bahn, in Rostock. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jens Büttner

The GDL train drivers’ union said the latest strike affecting passenger services would start at 2am on Tuesday and last until 2am on Wednesday.

Just like previous strikes, it will affect long-distance, regional and S-Bahn trains, all of which are run by Deutsche Bahn. 

For cargo services the strike would start a few hours earlier, the union said in a statement, blaming deadlocked talks with rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

The walkout will be the union’s sixth since November and comes less than a week after a 35-hour stoppage by its train drivers caused travel misery for thousands of rail passengers.

Adding to the chaos, Lufthansa cabin crew are set to walk off the job at Frankfurt airport on Tuesday, and at Munich airport on Wednesday.

The German airline group was already hit by a two-day strike by ground staff last week, as workers press demands for higher pay.

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

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across numerous sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The GDL union said Deutsche Bahn had failed to come up with an improved written offer by a Sunday evening deadline, a move that “inevitably leads to industrial action”, GDL boss Claus Weselsky said.

Deutsche Bahn had called earlier Sunday for a fresh round of talks on Monday.

“We are convinced that we will only succeed in reaching an agreement through dialogue at the negotiating table,” said Deutsche Bahn’s human resources director Martin Seiler.

As well as salary increases, the GDL union’s key demand is a reduced work week of 35 hours, down from 38 currently, at full pay.

Deutsche Bahn said it had made concessions amounting to up to 13 percent more pay, as well as the option of cutting the working week down to 37 hours starting in 2026.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Passengers in Germany urged to prepare for crowded airports over holiday weekend

German airports are expecting around 2.5 million passengers to be jetting off around the Whitsun holiday weekend.

Passengers in Germany urged to prepare for crowded airports over holiday weekend

The next major rush after Easter is coming up at German airports.

According to the airport association ADV, more than 2.5 million passengers are set to travel over the Whitsun long weekend. 

Whit Monday or Pfingstmontag on May 20th is a public holiday across Germany, meaning most people have the day off work while shops will be closed. As the holiday falls on Monday, Germans often take a trip to make the most of the long weekend – or even take some annual leave around this time to extend their time off. 

This year’s outlook on air passengers signals a five percent rise compared to last year. “The traffic development over the long Whitsun weekend shows that the desire for holiday travel is unbroken,” said ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel.

Due to the rush, German airports are advising passengers to allow significantly more time to plan for their travel day.  

“For a relaxed start to their holiday, passengers should not only allow more time on the way to the airport on the day of departure, but also plan a time buffer for their stay at the airport,” said a spokesperson from Munich Airport.

Passengers are advised to check in online before departure and to use online check-in for their luggage along the drop-off counter at the airport if possible.

Airports have also urged people flying to cut down on the amount of hand luggage they take so that going through security is faster. 

Despite rising numbers, air traffic in Germany is recovering more slowly than in the rest of Europe since the Covid pandemic, according to the ADV.

Following the pandemic, location costs in Germany – in particular aviation security fees and air traffic tax – have doubled.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Germany in May 2024

“This is not without consequences,” said Beisel, of the ADV. “The high demand for flights from private and business travellers is offset by a weak supply from the airlines.”

READ ALSO: ‘Germany lacks a sensible airline policy’: Is budget air travel declining?

Passenger traffic at Frankfurt airport – Germany’s largest airport – in the first quarter of 2024 was also 15 percent below the pre-coronavirus year 2019.

In addition to snow and ice disruption at the start of the year, air travel from Frankfurt was particularly hit by various strikes, including by Lufthansa staff and other airport employees.

However, Fraport said it had increased its revenue in the first quarter of the year by around 16 percent to €890 million.

READ ALSO: Summer airport strikes in Germany averted as Lufthansa cabin crew reach pay deal

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