Over a thousand flights cancelled as Lufthansa staff go on strike
About 134,000 passengers had to change their travel plans or cancel them altogether after ground staff at Germany's Lufthansa airlines went on strike, prompting the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.
Travel is booming this summer after two years of Covid-19 restrictions, swamping airlines and airports that don’t have enough workers after pandemic-era layoffs.
More than 1,000 Lufthansa flights have been cancelled because of a strike by the German airline's ground staff, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
The one-day strike, which started at 3.45 am local time (0145 GMT) on Wednesday, has forced Germany’s flag carrier to cancel almost all flights from Frankfurt and Munich airports.
About 134,000 passengers had to change their travel plans or cancel them altogether, German news agency dpa reported.
Flights operated by other airlines, which are usually supported by Lufthansa ground staff, were also affected with at least 47 connections cancelled on Tuesday, dpa said.
At Frankfurt airport, 725 of 1,160 scheduled flights were canceled for the day, according to a spokesperson for airport operator Fraport.
Major disruptions and flight delays were also expected at Berlin, Cologne/Bonn and Dusseldorf airports, adding to the travel chaos during the peak holiday period.
The airline advised affected passengers not to come to the airports because most of the counters there would not be staffed anyway.
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Call for pay increase
The ver.di service workers’ union announced the strike on Monday as it seeks to raise pressure on Lufthansa in negotiations on pay for about 20,000 employees of logistical, technical and cargo subsidiaries of the airline.
Ver.di is calling for a 9.5 percent pay increase this year and says an offer by Lufthansa earlier this month, which would involve a deal for an 18-month period, falls far short of its demands.
The walkout comes at a time when airports in Germany and across Europe already are seeing disruption and long lines for security checks because of staff shortages and soaring travel demand.
The next round of wage negotiations is expected to take place in Frankfurt next week.
As inflation soars, strikes for higher pay by airport crews in France and Scandinavian Airlines pilots in Sweden, Norway and Denmark have deepened the chaos for travellers who have faced last-minute cancellations, lengthy delays, lost luggage or long waits for bags in airports across Europe.
Airports like London’s Heath row and Amsterdam’s Schiphol have limited daily flights or passenger numbers.
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