faq
The next strike is imminent for Lufthansa customers: The ground staff of several Lufthansa companies will stop work all day on Wednesday. What air travelers need to know now – an overview.
What is the starting position?
The ver.di union has called on Lufthansa ground staff from 4 a.m. on Wednesday to go on a warning strike until Thursday morning. The strike is scheduled to last until Thursday at 7:10 a.m. According to ver.di, only Lufthansa companies with a total of around 25,000 employees are on strike. Specifically named: Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services and Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services.
During the warning strike, passengers on canceled Lufthansa flights should under no circumstances come to the airport, the company warns: “Due to the strike, the rebooking counters are unfortunately not staffed,” the airline writes on its website.
Does the strike have an impact on Eurowings?
The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings does not expect any flight cancellations as a result of the strike at the parent company. The company said it expects to be able to fly the flight program in full. They are not affected by the union’s announcement, but do not rule out the possibility that there may be isolated irregularities due to the strike measures.
This particularly applies to services that Eurowings obtains from Lufthansa group companies for individual processes. For example, in Düsseldorf, Eurowings jets are brought into position by vehicles from Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services (LEOS). However, there are alternatives at the location for this company that went on strike on Wednesday. At other airports, such as the Lufthansa hub in Munich, external service providers are used, a Eurowings spokesman added.
Which airports are affected?
The Lufthansa locations in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf are on strike. The impact on flights of other airlines within and outside the Lufthansa Group is still unclear.
In Munich and Frankfurt in particular, it could happen that striking Lufthansa counter staff are also unavailable for customers of other group companies such as Swiss or Austrian, according to ver.di. The technology also services machines from other LH group companies, and the company Lufthansa-LEOS, which was on strike in Düsseldorf, also acts as a ground transport service provider for other companies.
What are the consequences of the strike at the airports mentioned?
The Lufthansa core company expects that 80 to 90 percent of its flights planned for Wednesday will be canceled. Of around 1,000 planned flights, 100 to 200 connections should be offered. The company spoke of more than 100,000 affected passengers who will have to change their plans.
The flight plan already contains the first cancellations to the Far East from Frankfurt and Munich for late Tuesday evening. Ten to 20 percent of the core brand’s flights will take place to and from Frankfurt and Munich, both intercontinental connections and European flights. The details would be entered into the database on the lufthansa.com website and the passengers would be informed accordingly.
What can passengers do?
Passengers affected by 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 checking the current status of the flight.
Lufthansa offers free rebookings on lufthansa.com. Customers can also rebook flights independently using the app or contact a service center, according to Lufthansa. Anyone who has booked a flight within Germany can also convert their ticket into a train voucher on lufthansa.com.
Will I get my money back if the flight is canceled?
In principle, under EU law, travelers have the opportunity to claim 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; the amount of compensation increases for longer distances.
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’s employees themselves who are on strike, but external employees.
What are the positions of ver.di and Lufthansa?
Ver.di wants to increase the pressure on employers with the warning strike. The union is demanding 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of twelve months. There will also be a group-wide uniform inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.
Lufthansa puts its offer at a good 13 percent over three years, in addition to inflation compensation bonuses of 3,000 and 2,000 euros. Including the increases in the previous round of collective bargaining, employees would have around 25 percent more money.
The union considers this offer to be inadequate. Specifically criticized are eight zero months, low increase increments from September, the 36-month term and completely unanswered demands. For example, the offer provides for an average increase of less than two percent in the first year, according to ver.di. Lufthansa wants to pay employees outside of the maintenance subsidiary Lufthansa Technik a lower inflation compensation bonus.
Lufthansa human resources director Michael Niggemann accused the union of irresponsibility. “We all share responsibility for good, sustainable jobs for our colleagues in a tough international competitive environment.”
The next round of negotiations is planned for February 12th in Frankfurt am Main. According to ver.di, three more rounds have been agreed.
With information from Christoph Kehlbach, ARD legal department