On Thursday, Lufthansa was forced to cancel hundreds of flights in Germany due to a large-scale strike by pilots and cabin crew. The protest resulted from unsuccessful negotiations regarding new labor contracts and pension benefits.
This is reported by Finway
Scale of Cancellations and Impact on Passengers
According to estimates from the Association of German Airports, the strike led to the cancellation of over 460 flights, directly affecting around 69,000 passengers. The protest is ongoing from 00:01 to 23:59 local time and includes both commercial and cargo flights. The situation has garnered particular attention as the strike occurs just before the arrival of world leaders for the Munich Security Conference.
Lufthansa’s Response and Options for Passengers
Lufthansa stated that it is doing everything possible to minimize inconvenience for passengers. To this end, it is offering rebooking of tickets on flights with other group carriers, such as Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, and Swiss. Additionally, customers can exchange their flight tickets for train tickets with Deutsche Bahn to reach their destinations.
The strike was caused by prolonged negotiations between Lufthansa management and the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit regarding pension provisions, as well as the failure of agreements with the UFO union, which represents the interests of cabin crew regarding a new labor contract.
The German airline expects a “mass cancellation of flights,” although it did not provide specific numbers due to the “constantly changing situation.” However, the Association of German Airports estimated that over 460 flights would be canceled, directly impacting around 69,000 passengers.