Summary
- Lufthansa canceled 87% of its flights on March 7 and 85% on March 8.
- The safety personnel at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Hamburg Airport (HAM) are also striking.
- The strikes were initiated by the United Services Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di)
Data has shown that Lufthansa, whose employees are striking on March 7 and March 8, was forced to cancel most of its flights on the previous day, with the strikes having an identical impact on its flight schedule and passengers on the latter day.
Around 87% of canceled fights
In response to data from Flightradar24, provided to Easy Flying upon request, Lufthansa canceled 1,040 out of 1,170 (86.6%) flights on March 7. As of 13:00 local time (UTC +1), the German airline had abandoned plans to operate 1,030 out of 1,209 (85%) flights on March 8.
Photo: Lufthansa
The location’s data also showed that out of 662 flights scheduled to depart from Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Lufthansa’s largest hub, only 197 were tracked. Meanwhile, at Munich Airport (MUC), Flightradar24 tracked 190 out of 453 scheduled flights the identical day. At Lufthansa’s third-busiest airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), the service didn’t follow only a handful, namely 22 flights.
![Lufthansa Airbus A330 parked at Frankfurt Airport FRA shutterstock_2278487147](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lufthansa-airbus-a330-parked-at-frankfurt-airport-fra-shutterstock_2278487147.jpeg)
More Disruption: Lufthansa Staff Set To Strike Again On Thursday & Friday
Following previous labor motion, the ver.di union called for tougher measures since its demands weren’t met by Lufthansa.
Security personnel strike
Nonetheless, along with strikes by Lufthansa’s ground handling employees, the United Services Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di) has also called for security personnel at FRA and Hamburg Airport (HAM) to go on strike on March 7.
In response to the union, following five negotiation rounds with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Corporations (Bundesverband der Luftsicherheitsunternehmen, BDLS), the union and the association haven’t found common ground.
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
Wolfgang Pieper, a negotiator at ver.di, said that while the employers presented a brand new offer, it was still inadequate for 25,000 security employees in Germany. Flightradar24 data showed that out of 223 scheduled flights out of HAM, the service only tracked 101.
![A Lufthansa plane at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) at night](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mg_21_0703.jpg)
Airport Chaos: Frankfurt Security Staff Will Join Lufthansa Ground Crew On Strike
The ‘warning strike’ is being organized to place pressure on employers upfront of the following round of negotiations.
Not meeting eye-to-eye
When ver.di announced the bottom handling employees strike on March 4, the union said that while Lufthansa had improved its offer, the brand new contract didn’t meet its salary expectations. As such, ver.di announced the two-day labor motion before the following round of negotiations on March 13 and March 14.
Marvin Reschinsky, one other negotiator at ver.di, remarked that it was unbelievable that the corporate, which can announce record-breaking results with significant bonuses for its executive board, has did not adequately compensate its ground handling employees, who’re struggling to make ends meet in Germany’s most costly cities.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
Meanwhile, Michael Niggemann, the Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director at Lufthansa said that ver.di was deliberately escalating the labor dispute and that the union has rejected multiple improved offers the airline has made.
Still, Niggemann emphasized that Lufthansa was able to return to the negotiation table immediately with none preconditions and that the union would suspend further strike motion, declaring its willingness to barter constructively.
![Lufthansa and Eurowings aircraft at Dusseldorf Airport DUS shutterstock_1487054102](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lufthansa-and-eurowings-aircraft-at-dusseldorf-airport-dus-shutterstock_1487054102.jpeg)
1st Time Ever: All Lufthansa Airlines Were Profitable In 2023
The Lufthansa Group indicated that it might still not give you the option to succeed in its 2019 capability in 2024.