90 percent at the turnstiles
Ground staff strike causes most Lufthansa flights to be canceled
February 7, 2024, 10:13 a.m
Because of the warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff, more than 100,000 passengers have to reschedule. According to Verdi, almost nothing works at the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf. In the collective bargaining dispute, the union rejects the airline’s offer as “completely inadequate”.
The strike by Lufthansa ground staff has started and has led to the cancellation of the majority of the airline’s flights. Around 90 percent of departures at the Frankfurt am Main and Munich hubs are affected, said a spokesman for the Verdi union. At the airports in Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf, the feeder flights to the hubs were canceled.
Lufthansa had asked passengers on canceled flights in advance not to go to the airport. They couldn’t expect any help there. Affected customers can therefore rebook free of charge. Anyone who has booked a flight within Germany can also convert their ticket into a rail voucher on the Lufthansa website.
According to the airline, more than 100,000 passengers are expected to have to change their travel plans. A Verdi spokesman said in Frankfurt that the willingness to strike was extremely high. The union assumes that Lufthansa will probably not be able to carry out the significantly reduced flight program as planned.
The warning strike scheduled by Verdi for 27 hours began in the morning with the shift starting at 4 a.m. and is scheduled to last until shortly after 7 a.m. on Thursday morning. The background is the ongoing collective bargaining for ground workers in the group companies Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo and others.
Next round of negotiations on Monday
Verdi is demanding 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of one year. There will also be a group-wide inflation bonus of 3,000 euros. Lufthansa points to past wage increases and has offered 13 percent more money and an inflation bonus for a period of three years. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday.
According to Verdi, Lufthansa has so far presented a “completely inadequate offer” in the negotiations. In particular, the union is demanding a higher minimum salary increase than the 200 euros per month previously offered, as well as a significantly shorter term for the collective agreement. She also points to the airline’s very good economic situation.
Lufthansa Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann referred to “enormous investment needs in new, lower-fuel aircraft, in new seats, in digital travel experiences. All of this must be financed.” The offer of an increase in salary and other components of up to 13 percent over the next three years should first be negotiated. But instead Verdi escalates.
The Union also responded to the strike by Lufthansa ground staff at several German airports with criticism and lack of understanding. “Of course, industrial action is a legitimate means in collective bargaining disputes,” said Union parliamentary group vice-president Ulrich Lange. “But taking such drastic measures before the actual negotiations begin is difficult for me to understand.”
Lufthansa warning strike affects five German airports
The hubs Frankfurt and Munich as well as Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg are affected until Thursday morning: In Frankfurt am Main, 80 to 90 percent of the approximately 600 planned take-offs and landings of the Lufthansa core brand and the group’s own feeder Air Dolomiti had already been canceled.
In Munich, more than half of all flights are canceled. Of the normally around 730 flight movements of all companies, a good 400 take-offs and landings are affected. According to the airport, these are almost exclusively flights operated by Lufthansa and its partners.
All outgoing and arriving Lufthansa flights at the capital airport BER are cancelled. In total there are 46 flight movements. In Düsseldorf, 14 of the 15 planned Lufthansa connections to Munich and Frankfurt are canceled. According to the airport, arrivals are 13 out of 14 flights. Other companies may have to expect delays because the staff who tow aircraft with special vehicles from the terminal to the taxiways are also on strike.
In Hamburg, the 23 planned Lufthansa departures are canceled, as can be seen from the airport’s online flight schedule. There are twelve flights to Munich and eleven to Frankfurt. In return, arrivals starting at these two hubs will also be canceled.