We’re off again, with Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) calling out its members who work for Lufthansa – in effect, grounding the airline tomorrow (2nd September).
The strike will run from 00:01 to 23:59 hrs. (Central European Summer Time; GMT+2).
Unsurprisingly, the strike will have an impact on flight operations, as the summer holiday period is coming to the end. Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo departures from German airports are affected.
Lufthansa has cancelled 800 flights at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Friday, with some flights also being cancelled today,
An estimated 130,000 passengers will be affected, in view of the upcoming weekend. The airline is working with others to restore operations as soon as possible, however, flight cancellations or delays could run into this Saturday and Sunday.
Eurowings and Eurowings Discover are not affected by the strike call and are scheduled to operate as planned.
In Quotes
Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG said
“We cannot understand VC’s call for a strike. The management has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the continuing burdens of the Covid crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy. This escalation comes at the expense of many thousands of customers.” .
Matthias Baier, the press spokesman for Vereinigung Cockpit, said:
“Aware of our responsibility for companies and guests, we wanted to leave no stone unturned and offered another negotiation date despite insufficient offer and failed negotiations. Even today, we have not received a sufficient offer. This is sobering and a missed opportunity. The negotiations have failed. The employer took advantage of yesterday’s hearing, but did not use it to move towards the demands of the union with an improved offer. Therefore, all that remains for us is to emphasise our demands with a labour dispute.”
Marcel Gröls, Chairman of The VC’s Tariff Policy added:
“In order to avert industrial disputes, Lufthansa must present a significantly improved offer,”
“In addition to compensating for the loss of real wages, we now need above all a sustainable solution for the remuneration structure in all occupational groups.”
Good luck planning ahead
Lufthansa has been adjusting the flight schedule and published the cancellations. All guests with contact details in the booking will be informed via text message or mail. You will need to check your booking constantly as well y check the status of your flight on lufthansa.com.
If you are rebooked, the airline strongly recommends that you use this alternative. Please only contact a Service Center if it is absolutely impossible for you to travel with the booked alternative.
If you have not been informed of an alternative, you’ll need to check the self-service section of manage my booking. The airline recommends against contacting their call centre and avoiding travelling to the airport.
If a domestic Lufthansa flight is cancelled, you can exchange your ticket for a Deutsche Bahn ticket free of charge. The exception here is travel if you also have a cancelled international connecting flight in Frankfurt or Munich. Please remember to make a reservation, which you can do via the Deutsche Bahn site.
Deutsche Bahn trains under Lufthansa Express Rail Number are not affected by the strike. However, if your connecting flight from Frankfurt or Munich is cancelled and you do not have an alternative booking, you are advised not to travel with Express Rail to the airport in Frankfurt or Munich, but to rebook.
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