All is not well between Lufthansa and the Ver.di union, with a strike in the offing today (Wednesday 27th) – to the point where flying Lufthansa tomorrow isn’t an idea to consider.
Ver.di’s timing is in just before the peak travel season kicks in – for maximum effect, it seems. As such, the flying programmes for the airline have been hit hard, with the ground staff planning to walk out.
The strike will run from Wednesday 27th July at 03:45CET through to Thursday 28th July at 06:00CET.
In Frankfurt, 678 flights will have to be cancelled, including 32 already today (Tuesday) and 646 on Wednesday. This is expected to affect 92,000 passengers.
At the Munich hub, a total of 345 flights will have to be cancelled, 15 of them already today (Tuesday) and 330 on Wednesday. It is expected that 42,000 passengers will be affected.
There has also been an impact on passengers already, with the airline noting that 7500 passengers could not make it to their destination, with flights cancelled in advance,
Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays on Thursday and Friday with people and aircraft out of position.
Passengers affected by cancellations will be informed immediately today and rebooked on alternative flights if possible. However, the capacities available for this are very limited as we hit the peak summer travel season.
The airline has posted its plans at https://www.lufthansa.com/xx/en/flight-information.html
Well, it sucks.
Being caught in strike action is never fun – we all know that. However, the ability to reroute (which is what Lufthansa would typically do when a strike hits), has taken a major blow. We’re used to having lots of options to be rerouted on, however capacity on airports and airlines is a lot more limited than in previous years (after the past two years where airlines threw capacity away, along with staff to support).
The net result will be delays throughout the Lufthansa network as it tries to reroute people onto new flights and routes.
Expect things to be busy the next few days.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, featuring in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can follow me on Instagram too!
Also remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
