Hundreds of Lufthansa Flights Canceled due to Planned Strike

Lufthansa has announced it will cancel hundreds of flights on Wednesday, July 27 due to a planned strike by the company’s ground personnel.

The warning strike announced by trade union ver.di is having a massive operational impact in the middle of the peak travel season. Lufthansa will have to call off almost the entire flight program at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Wednesday. Looking ahead to the coming weekend, the start of the vacation season in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Lufthansa is working flat out to return flight operations to normal as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays on Thursday and Friday.

In Frankfurt, a total of 678 flights will have to be canceled, including 32 already today (Tuesday) and 646 on Wednesday. This is expected to affect 92,000 passengers.

At the Munich hub, a total of 345 flights will have to be canceled, 15 of them already today (Tuesday) and 330 on Wednesday. It is expected that 42,000 passengers will be affected.

Passengers affected by cancellations will be informed immediately today and rebooked on alternative flights if possible. However, the capacities available for this are very limited.

Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “The early escalation of a previously constructive collective bargaining round is causing enormous damage. It affects our passengers in particular, who are impacted during the peak travel season. And it is putting an additional heavy strain on our employees in an already difficult phase for air traffic. In view of our high offer with very substantial pay increases over the next 12 months of more than 10 percent more in the pay groups up to 3,000 euros monthly basic pay and a 6 percent increase for a monthly basic pay of 6,500 euros, this so-called warning strike is in the middle of the peak summer travel season is simply no longer proportionate.”

Among other things, the Group has presented a package with the following components. Starting 1 July 2022, with a term of 18 months, there is to be per employee:

An increase in basic pay of 150 euros per month as of 1 July 2022,
A further basic pay increase of 100 euros per month as of 1 January 2023,
Plus a two-percent increase in compensation as of 1 July 2023, provided the Group’s earnings are positive (assumed in each case for the calculations),
Additional commitment: an increase in minimum wage to 13 euros per hour effective 1 October 2022.

Example increases in basic monthly compensation (gross) within the next 12 months according to the Lufthansa offer: