The pilots’ union for Lufthansa – Europe’s largest airline group – on Saturday called for a two-day strike in Germany starting on Monday.
The latest strike – called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) trade union over a dispute over pay and pensions – is the fifth strike Lufthansa has taken this year.
“The Cockpit union feels compelled to take this step after employers have shown no real willingness to reach a resolution in several collective bargaining disputes,” VC president Andreas Pinheiro said, according to Reuters.
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What to know about the strike
The latest two-day strike will affect flights operated by the main airline Lufthansa and its subsidiaries CityLine and Eurowings. Lufthansa Cargo will also be affected.
Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine pilots have been asked to strike from 0001 CET (2201 CET) on April 13 until 2359 CET (2159 CET) on April 14, the union said. Pilots at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings have also been asked to strike from 0001 to 2359 CET on April 13, the union said.
However, the VC department said that due to the situation in the Middle East, where the US-Iran talks have failed, flights to certain destinations will not be affected.
These include flights to destinations in Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the VC union said.
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What do the flyers say?
Users on social media appeared to indicate that the services were mostly working well, with some citing problems with rescheduling flights.
“Flights canceled and rebooked. All good. What can I do with the extra charges this change has caused? For example UK ETA (sic),” wrote one user on X.
“I’ve tried several times but something is still blocking my flight from being rebooked due to the strike and I can’t speak to a single person – I need help because I’m flying tomorrow plz (sic),” wrote another.
Others, meanwhile, criticized unions for not taking into account the needs of customers.
“I have been flying with Lufthansa for many years – out of loyalty to a traditional German company. However, lately I am beginning to question this decision. The way the employees pursue their interests regardless of the customers! Lack of access to services!” written by a user on X.
what’s next
The union and the aviation group appear to be at an impasse, with VC boss Pinheiro saying: “Despite our deliberate decision not to strike over the Easter holidays, no serious offers have been made.”
Lufthansa reportedly said in a statement that the VC union’s strike announcement marked “a whole new level of escalation,” adding that the group’s demand to “double the already above-average and excellent corporate pension system is absurd and unachievable.”
Hundreds of flights were canceled on Friday
Saturday’s call for another strike comes after Lufthansa flight attendants walked off their jobs on Friday amid a strike called by the UFO union.
About 20,000 flight attendants of the German flag carrier were called in for the strike, which lasted until 10:00 p.m. local time on Friday.
As a result, Lufthansa canceled hundreds of flights in advance, with flight schedules affected in hubs such as Munich, Frankfurt, but also Berlin, Stuttgart and Leipzig/Halle.
In Frankfurt alone, almost 75% of Lufthansa’s approximately 350 scheduled departures were canceled on Friday, DW reported.
