It sure hasn’t been a smooth few weeks at Lufthansa. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen Lufthansa ground workers go on strike on three different occasions (and counting). Now we’re seeing Lufthansa flight attendants go on strike as well…
Ben Schlappig
ONE MILE AT A TIME
March 10, 2024
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Details of the Lufthansa flight attendant strike
What Lufthansa flight attendants are fighting for
Bottom line
Details of the Lufthansa flight attendant strike
The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO), which is the union representing Lufthansa flight attendants, has called on its members to engage in a strike. This includes the following flights:All flights departing Frankfurt (FRA) on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, from 4AM until 11PM
All flights departing Munich (MUC) on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 4AM until 11PM
This strike applies to Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine, but doesn’t apply to other Lufthansa Group airlines, like Austrian or SWISS. It’s expected that roughly 100,000 passengers will be impacted by the strike.
Lufthansa is simply telling customers that the airline is expecting flight disruptions, and that customers whose flights are affected by the strike will receive information on cancelation and rebooking options in the coming day.
What Lufthansa flight attendants are fighting for
Bottom line
Details of the Lufthansa flight attendant strike
The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO), which is the union representing Lufthansa flight attendants, has called on its members to engage in a strike. This includes the following flights:All flights departing Frankfurt (FRA) on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, from 4AM until 11PM
All flights departing Munich (MUC) on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 4AM until 11PM
This strike applies to Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine, but doesn’t apply to other Lufthansa Group airlines, like Austrian or SWISS. It’s expected that roughly 100,000 passengers will be impacted by the strike.
Lufthansa is simply telling customers that the airline is expecting flight disruptions, and that customers whose flights are affected by the strike will receive information on cancelation and rebooking options in the coming day.
Lufthansa flight attendants are going on strike
What Lufthansa flight attendants are fighting for
Over 96% of Lufthansa flight attendants voted in favor of going on strike, so what are they requesting? The union’s 19,000 members are seeking a 15% pay increase, plus a one-time €3,000 inflation compensation payment.
This strike comes just days after Lufthansa announced its 2023 financial results, whereby the airline roughly doubled its profits year-over-year, to €1.67 billion. The head of the UFO has stated that flight attendants should “be able to benefit from this success,” and also stated that the union “deeply regrets” having to do this, and asks passengers to excuse the inconvenience caused.
Negotiations have been ongoing between management and the union, but union leadership stated that no agreement has been reached, and that “management wants the situation to worsen, at passengers’ expense.”
The situation that labor groups at Lufthansa are dealing with is hardly unique, as we’re seeing flight attendants in the United States similarly trying to negotiate new contracts. The difference is that it’s much more complicated to go on strike in the United States, due to how our laws are set up.
Lufthansa really doesn’t seem to be a very reliable airline to fly with at the moment, given that there will have been four strikes over the course of just a few weeks. And worst of all, new contracts haven’t been agreed upon with either work group, so there’s no end in sight for these operational disruptions.
Bottom line
Lufthansa flight attendants are going on strike this week — all flights from Frankfurt are expected to be canceled on Tuesday, while all flights from Munich are expected to be canceled on Wednesday. Given that Lufthansa currently has two striking work groups, I wouldn’t feel very confident in any Lufthansa travel plans in the coming weeks.
Over 96% of Lufthansa flight attendants voted in favor of going on strike, so what are they requesting? The union’s 19,000 members are seeking a 15% pay increase, plus a one-time €3,000 inflation compensation payment.
This strike comes just days after Lufthansa announced its 2023 financial results, whereby the airline roughly doubled its profits year-over-year, to €1.67 billion. The head of the UFO has stated that flight attendants should “be able to benefit from this success,” and also stated that the union “deeply regrets” having to do this, and asks passengers to excuse the inconvenience caused.
Negotiations have been ongoing between management and the union, but union leadership stated that no agreement has been reached, and that “management wants the situation to worsen, at passengers’ expense.”
The situation that labor groups at Lufthansa are dealing with is hardly unique, as we’re seeing flight attendants in the United States similarly trying to negotiate new contracts. The difference is that it’s much more complicated to go on strike in the United States, due to how our laws are set up.
Lufthansa really doesn’t seem to be a very reliable airline to fly with at the moment, given that there will have been four strikes over the course of just a few weeks. And worst of all, new contracts haven’t been agreed upon with either work group, so there’s no end in sight for these operational disruptions.
Lufthansa flight attendants are seeking pay increases
Bottom line
Lufthansa flight attendants are going on strike this week — all flights from Frankfurt are expected to be canceled on Tuesday, while all flights from Munich are expected to be canceled on Wednesday. Given that Lufthansa currently has two striking work groups, I wouldn’t feel very confident in any Lufthansa travel plans in the coming weeks.
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