faq
Passengers have to prepare for another strike by Lufthansa ground staff on Thursday and Friday. In addition, security staff at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports are on strike. Air travelers should take this into account now.
When will there be a strike?
There is a risk of further flight cancellations and delays at German airports at the end of the week. On Monday, the service union ver.di called on Lufthansa ground staff to go on warning strikes on Thursday and Friday. The strike is expected to last a total of 59 hours. According to Lufthansa, over 200,000 passengers are affected. This suggests that, as with two previous waves of strikes, around 1,000 flights per day will again be canceled and only around a tenth of the original offer can be flown.
The warning strike for areas close to passengers will begin on Thursday at 4:00 a.m. and end on Saturday at 7:10 a.m., ver.di said. Different times would apply to other areas such as freight or technology. Lufthansa expects this to have a major impact on its flight program.
In the ongoing tariff dispute, there had already been two waves of warning strikes, each of which paralyzed passenger traffic for around a day.
On Tuesday, ver.di also called for a strike on Thursday in people and goods screening, freight screening and service areas at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports. The union said there would be an all-day industrial action at the two airports on Thursday.
In the five rounds of collective bargaining with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) so far, no agreement has been reached on higher wages for the industry’s approximately 25,000 employees nationwide. Talks continued on March 20.
Why is there a strike again?
With the strike by Lufthansa ground staff, the service union wants to increase the pressure on the airline before the planned fifth round of collective bargaining on March 13th and 14th. The background to the repeated work stoppages is the group-wide collective wage negotiations for the around 25,000 employees on the ground, according to ver.di, who work at Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services, Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services and other group companies. Lufthansa speaks of around 20,000 employees.
In the collective bargaining for security personnel, the aim is to signal to employers that the current offer needs to be improved, according to ver.di. In the five rounds of collective bargaining with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) so far, no agreement has been reached on higher wages for the industry’s approximately 25,000 employees nationwide. Talks continued on March 20.
What are the positions?
With reference to Lufthansa’s record profits and the increased workload for ground staff, Ver.di is calling for an increase in salaries of 12.5 percent, but at least 500 euros per month, for a period of twelve months. There will also be a one-off inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros. In addition, shift work should be upgraded.
Lufthansa recently offered an immediate pay increase of four percent as well as a simultaneous inflation compensation bonus of 2,000 euros. There would also be a further tax-free 1,000 euros before Christmas and a little later an additional salary increase of six percent – a total of “over ten percent sustainable salary increase in twelve months and 3,000 euros tax-free”. According to the group’s wishes, the term should be 28 months.
What are they about? Aviation security forces?
According to ver.di, the latest offer from employers provides for an increase in hourly wages in three steps – on March 1st by 1.20 euros, on October 1st by 0.75 euros and on April 1st, 2025 again by 0.75 euros – if the collective agreement runs for 24 months. “That’s not enough,” said ver.di negotiator Wolfgang Pieper.
In addition, the offer of overtime is not acceptable because the employers are asking employees to do more than 1.5 months of overtime without additional pay. Ver.di is demanding 2.80 euros more wages per hour, higher functional bonuses and overtime bonuses from the first overtime hour with a contract term of twelve months.
What can passengers do now?
Hamburg Airport has announced on its website that there will be no departures from Hamburg on Thursday. Check-in the evening before is also not possible from Wednesday to Thursday.
Passengers affected by Lufthansa flight cancellations as a result of the ver.di strike will be informed by email or via the Lufthansa app, Lufthansa says. The company also advises to check the current status of the flight – for example on their website.
In principle, customers can cancel flights canceled due to strikes and then get their money back. The airline has seven days to do this. If you still want to fly, you are entitled to a later flight. However, this can take time until the strike is over, possibly even longer, as a backlog can arise.
Airlines must do everything reasonable to get their passengers to their destination free of charge using alternative routes at comparable conditions despite cancellations during strikes. Depending on the circumstances and distance, alternative transport can also be provided by providing train rides or rental cars.
On the Lufthansa website, under “Flight irregularities”, it says that customers can convert their flight ticket for certain routes into a Deutsche Bahn ticket free of charge if the company cannot offer a suitable replacement flight. This can be done online and you don’t have to travel to the airport. However, there will be a strike at Deutsche Bahn on Thursday and until Friday afternoon, so this possibility will probably no longer apply.
Do you get compensation if your flight is canceled?
In principle, under EU law, travelers have the opportunity to claim compensation of up to 250 euros for short flights if their connection is canceled and no appropriate alternative is offered. This applies to flights of less than 1,500 kilometers. For longer distances, the amount of compensation increases.
However, if the airline can cite exceptional circumstances, passengers have no right to compensation. This refers to circumstances that are beyond the control of the airline. This can also be a strike, especially if it is not the airline employees themselves who are on strike, but external employees. However, experts emphasize that the specific case must always be examined. For example, a company can relieve itself through timely information or special circumstances.