As of: February 6, 2024, 4:19 p.m
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Parked passenger planes at Frankfurt Airport: The ground staff's warning strike is forcing Lufthansa to impose massive restrictions on air traffic.
© Boris Roessler / dpa
Verdi flexes his muscles at Lufthansa.
The 27-hour warning strike starting Wednesday will largely paralyze operations at the core company.
Above all, passengers need patience.
Frankfurt/Main - In view of the announced warning strike by its ground staff, Lufthansa has massively cut back its flight program for this Wednesday.
A large number of long-distance flights and European connections from the Lufthansa core brand were canceled at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs.
According to the company, only 10 to 20 percent of the originally planned program will be offered.
More than 100,000 passengers would have to reschedule.
However, the Lufthansa subsidiaries and external airlines are not or hardly affected.
At the other airports in Germany, flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich in particular are canceled.
Information and rebooking options
Lufthansa asked its passengers to find out in advance about the status of their respective flights.
Under no circumstances should passengers of canceled flights come to the airport.
They couldn't expect any help there.
“Due to the strike, the rebooking counters are unfortunately not staffed,” the airline writes on its website.
Free rebooking options are available via lufthansa.com, the customer app and the service center.
Tickets for domestic flights could be converted into vouchers for train journeys.
Where and how long will the strike take place?
Verdi has called on employees of various Lufthansa companies at the Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf locations to go on a warning strike.
Among others, the companies Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services and Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services (Leos) are on strike.
The strike is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 4 a.m. and last until Thursday at 7:10 a.m.
Are the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group also affected?
The well-known Lufthansa subsidiary for direct flights, Eurowings, does not expect any flight cancellations as a result of the warning strike.
However, it cannot be ruled out that there could be isolated irregularities.
In Düsseldorf, Eurowings jets are usually pushed into their taxiing position by vehicles from the Lufthansa subsidiary Leos.
However, there are alternatives at the location for this company that went on strike on Wednesday.
Maintenance and technical units are on strike in Berlin and Hamburg, which could lead to the failure of individual aircraft.
At the Munich and Frankfurt hubs, the skeleton crews give priority to the flights of the foreign Lufthansa sister companies Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines in order to keep their networks functioning.
Lufthansa customers will then also be rebooked on these flights.
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When will operations return to normal?
Lufthansa is expecting a bumpy start-up on Thursday with some cancellations and delays.
The operation also depends on the question of whether the early shifts of the ground staff completely follow the Verdi call and actually only start work at 7:10 a.m.
In principle, all employees are called on to go on a warning strike until then, confirmed Verdi strike leader Marvin Reschinsky.
In the past, the early shifts started work on time after the first day of the warning strike and therefore before the official end.
What is the collective bargaining dispute about?
In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, Verdi is demanding 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of twelve months.
There will also be a group-wide uniform inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.
The next round of negotiations is planned for February 12th in Frankfurt am Main.
According to Verdi, three more rounds have been agreed.
Lufthansa points to past wage increases and has offered 13 percent more money and an inflation compensation bonus for a period of three years.
The company criticizes the warning strike as disproportionate at the early stage of the negotiations.
Why are there so many strikes in aviation?
This is due to the rugged tariff landscape.
In the German companies of the Lufthansa Group, three unions usually come together to individually negotiate salaries and working conditions for the cockpit, cabin and ground.
Each of these groups is capable of paralyzing operations.
In addition, there are labor disputes among service providers who also have the power to strike, such as aviation security staff or the airport administration, some of which are still part of the public service.
Here Verdi in particular often resorts to the warning strike.
(dpa, lf)