The AUA parent Lufthansa is canceling almost its entire flight program at its German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich due to Verdi’s warning strike on Wednesday. This concerns 678 flights in Frankfurt alone, of which 32 are on Tuesdays. 345 flights are canceled in Munich. The union has called on about 20,000 navvies to take part in widespread work stoppages to pressure ongoing salary negotiations.
“The early escalation after just two days of negotiations in what has so far been a constructive round of collective bargaining is doing tremendous damage,” said Lufthansa HR Director Michael Niggemann. This is especially true for our passengers during the high season. And it puts an extra heavy burden on our employees in an already difficult phase in air traffic.”
Individual flight cancellations and delays are still possible on Thursday and Friday. In addition to the Frankfurt and Munich hubs, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, Hanover, Stuttgart and Cologne are also affected. In Bavaria, Friday is the last day of school before the summer holidays.
Passengers without a transfer will not be allowed to enter the airports because there will be “little or no” service counters there, the company warned. Passengers complained online about short-term cancellations of intercontinental flights to the United States or Hong Kong. These are usually the last flights Lufthansa cancels in the event of a strike.
Strike starts Wednesday morning
Very different groups of employees are called upon, such as desk clerks, aircraft technicians or the drivers of the huge tractors that push aircraft into the right positions at the airport. Without these services, the jets cannot take off any more than without pilots or cabin crew.
The first strike at Lufthansa after the Corona shock comes against the backdrop of a partially chaotic restart in the industry. Staffing bottlenecks and strong demand for holidays have already led to significant processing problems without strikes this summer.
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.
