The pilots of the airline Eurowings went on strike 24 hours a day on Thursday. The union action started as scheduled at midnight, a spokesman for the union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said. Eurowings assumes that about half of all flights will be cancelled. Austrian airports are also affected.
On average, Eurowings carries 50,000 to 70,000 passengers on approximately 500 flights every day. The VC has called for a strike because the negotiations on a collective labor agreement have failed. On Thursday, Eurowings plans mainly with machines from the Austrian subsidiary Eurowings Europe, which is not on strike, but also with aircraft from partner companies that also perform part of the flights.
The situation varies greatly by airport, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday. Airports such as Mallorca, Stockholm or Prague, which are often served by Eurowings Europe, are less affected. On the other hand, it hit the German targets above average. According to the airport, 118 flights are likely to be canceled in Düsseldorf, the largest Eurowings location alone. 60 more will follow. In Cologne/Bonn, 61 of the planned 90 flights were cancelled.
Vienna, Graz and Linz airports affected
Austrian airports are also affected. All Eurowings connections in Graz and Linz were canceled on Thursday. Only one of the 19 scheduled flights takes place in Vienna. Salzburg airport, on the other hand, is spared, radio station “Ö1” reports.
Eurowings asks customers to inquire about the status of their flight on the website www.eurowings.com or via the Eurowings app. Passengers should be offered other travel options, such as transferring to a train or rebooking on another flight.
Pilots want better working conditions
The VC calls on its members to resign because negotiations on a collective labor agreement have failed. The union is in conflict over better working conditions. A central requirement is to relieve employees, for example by shortening the maximum flight duty times.
Eurowings criticizes the strike as disproportionate and irresponsible. Human resources manager Kai Duve called the demands “in times when millions fear a cold winter and the next heating bill” excessive and dangerous to the future viability of flight operations and jobs.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
