After months-long negotiations over a pay rise, Lufthansa staff walked out on Tuesday evening, leaving 200,000 passengers likely to be affected.
According to Euronews, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart airports are all affected. In addition, 80 to 90 per cent of flights to and from these airports are expected to be cancelled.
The strike, which started on Monday, will continue until Wednesday, with walkouts starting at Frankfurt airport and being followed by those in Munich, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart airports.
Due to the 35-hour warning strike from February 19 at 20:00 CET until February 21 at 7:10 CET, we currently assume that around 10 to 20 per cent of the flight program will be possible on Tuesday, February 20.
As the company informed, passengers affected by flight cancellations will be able to rebook their flights free of charge. In addition, those who were flying within the country can have their ticket exchanged for a rail voucher and continue with their travel plans.
Services can be resumed on Wednesday, but flight disruption might continue for some more. Lufthansa has asked passengers to avoid travelling to the airport unless their flight is being operated, while other passengers are advised to check their email or Lufthansa app for more details. This is the second time this month that mass flight cancellations for Lufthansa have happened.
The walkouts occurred due to the Ver.di union seeking pay raises of 12.5 per cent, or at least €500 more per month. The negotiations for pay raises include interests of about 25,000 employees, including check-in, aircraft handling, maintenance and freight staff.
While a round of talks on February 12 reached no agreement, more negotiations are scheduled for Wednesday.
In addition, Lufthansa customer service has warned customers that a WhatsApp number under Lufthansa’s name is being circulated. The airline clarified it does not have a WhatsApp account to communicate with customers.
Lufthansa also noted that rebooking desks are not staffed, meaning that rebooking flights can take some time at the present moment.
It is always advisable to purchase travel cancellation insurance when travelling. In this way, travellers can protect themselves from unexpected expenses such as missed or delayed flights.
For those seeking information on flight delay compensation, especially in the wake of this disruption, we offer valuable insights on our article “The Ultimate Guide To Claiming Compensation for a Flight Delay or Cancelation in the EU“.
Being well-informed about compensation options can provide some relief to passengers affected by such incidents.
