80-90% of Lufthansa flights were impacted during the last strike.
Flights and trains across Germany will be severely disrupted this week due to strikes.
Germany’s flagship airline Lufthansa say they are “expecting extensive effects on the flight program.”
200,000 passengers are likely to be affected, meaning that around 1,000 flights per day will be cancelled as during previous strikes, according to German news agency dpa.
Flights on Thursday (7 March) and Friday (8 March) will be the worst affected.
The official strike times of Lufthansa ground staff are: 8 pm on Wednesday until 7.10 am on Saturday.
It is the third time this year that a strike has caused mass flight cancellations for Lufthansa.
The strike on long distance and regional train services begins at 2 am on Thursday and, according to GDL union, will last until 1 pm on Friday. However these times could change.
Why are Germany travel strikes happening?
Disputes between transport workers and companies have been ongoing for months in Germant.
Along with asking for pay rises, GDL union has been calling for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 per week without a pay cut, which train operator Deutsche Bahn has refused.
The Ver.di union seeks a 12.5% pay raise, or at least €500 more per month, in negotiations for nearly 25,000 Lufthansa ground workers including check-in, aircraft handling, maintenance and freight staff.
Coinciding contract negotiations have resulted in several recent walkouts in the rail, air and local transport sectors in Germany.
Chief Ver.di negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said the strikes come at a time when ground workers are barely earning the minimum wage, yet Germany’s Lufthansa is boasting a high profit margin.
“Nobody can understand that this company will be announcing record annual results this week, that bonuses for board members will be increased substantially, and that ground employees with hourly wages of €13 in some cases no longer even know how to make ends meet in Germany’s most expensive cities,” said Reschinsky in a statement.
With the warning strike, the trade union wants to increase the pressure on Lufthansa ahead of the planned fifth round of collective bargaining on 13 and 14 March.
Germany train strike: Which services will be affected?
The walkout by GDL workers will affect Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains.
During previous strikes, DB have operated emergency timetables. However these strikes are not going to be operated with 48 hours notice so it could be impossible for DB to plan ahead.
In a statement, DB say: “During the strike, DB will be offering a basic service on long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services. We recommend reserving a seat on long-distance services. The basic offer is available via the timetable information on bahn.de and in the DB Navigator. DB asks travellers to check whether their connection is available 24 hours before departure.”
Full information from DB, including how to rebook or get a refund, is available here.
ADVERTISEMENTHow to find out if your Lufthansa flight is cancelled
In a statement, Lufthansa say: “Passengers who will be affected by an irregularity will receive information about cancellations and rebooking options by email or in the Lufthansa app.”
Ensure that the contact details on your booking are up to date so that the airline can easily contact you.
They advise passengers to check this page on their website for updates.
You can also keep eye on Lufthansa’s X account for further updates.
Beware: in the past, Lufthansa customer service has warned customers that there is a fake WhatsApp number being circulated. The airline does not have a WhatsApp account to communicate with customers.
ADVERTISEMENTLufthansa strike: Can you get a refund?
Lufthansa have said: “Flights that have been canceled due to the strike can be rebooked free of charge at http://lufthansa.com, in the Lufthansa app or via the service centers.”
They also say: “Due to the strike, the rebooking desks are unfortunately not staffed.”
If your flight is domestic, you can get a voucher for an equivalent train journey via the Lufthansa website.
Under EU rules, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight is cancelled.
Passengers compain about Lufthansa customer service
There was two strikes that disrupted Lufthansa flights in February, causing widespread disruption to 100,000s of travellers.
ADVERTISEMENTAt the time, many took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to complain that it has been very difficult to speak to someone at Lufthansa to get information or rebook flights.
At Frankfurt airport, a social media user filmed a long queue of travellers waiting to speak to customer service.
We will be updating this article with passengers’ experiences of this week’s strikes as they become available.
Source: Euro News
