Lufthansa Cancels 400+ Flights Due to Ground Workers Strike

Lufthansa cancelled hundreds of domestic and international flights on Tuesday as ground workers in Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Cologne announced plans to strike in an ongoing dispute over wages.

The union ver.di, one of the world’s largest with 2.1 million members,  announced plans for a rolling walkout for Tuesday.  Workers at Frankfurt, the country’s largest airport, will strike from 2 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. local time.  Munich will be impacted by the strike from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m., Düsseldorf from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m., Cologne from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m., and Stuttgart from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m

Frankfurt Airport’s Web page carried a message stating that “disruptions and flight cancellations are likely to occur” and is advising passengers to “check the website of their airline or contact the airline directly.”

Munich Airport’s Web site similarly noted that “delays may occur in the handling of all flights…”

Ver.di said that the schedule is subject to change and that smaller airports, including Bremen and Hannover, could be impacted as well.

Lufthansa typically operates over 1,850 flights on a weekday and the airline said it had cancelled roughly 400 of them for Tuesday.  Air Berlin, the country’s second largest carrier, announced plans to cancel eight flights out of several hundred regularly scheduled ones.

Ver.di is asking for a 6.5% raise for the two million public sector workers it represents.  The latest offer is a 3.3% increase over two years plus a one-time payment.

(Pictured: Lufthansa A380 business-class boarding area, Frankfurt)