Nothing is going on at the Lufthansa hubs because of the warning strike among ground staff. While workers demonstrate for more money, stranded customers fear for their alternative flights.
The Verdi union has largely paralyzed Lufthansa flight operations with a warning strike by ground staff. Almost all Lufthansa flights at the Munich and Frankfurt hubs were canceled on Wednesday. While employees demonstrated for higher salaries, numerous passengers in the terminals feared for their onward flight options. In Frankfurt, long queues of mostly foreign customers formed in front of the sparsely manned counters after the morning emptiness.
Numerous flights had already been canceled on Tuesday
The walkout began on Wednesday morning and is expected to last until 6 a.m. Thursday. As a precaution, Lufthansa has canceled more than 1,000 flights at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs and fears the effects until Friday, the last day of school before the summer holidays in Bavaria. 134,000 passengers had to change or abandon their travel plans. At least 47 connections had already failed on Tuesday, affecting almost 7,500 passengers. There should be no further strike until the wage talks are resumed next Wednesday (August 3rd), said Verdi negotiator Christine Behle in the ZDF morning show.
At the largest German airport in Frankfurt, 725 of 1,160 planned flights were canceled on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for the operator Fraport. This also affects flights from other companies, which are usually looked after by Lufthansa ground staff. Lufthansa itself had given the number of 646 strike-related flight cancellations for Wednesday.
Flights from Lufthansa Group companies such as Swiss, Austria, Brussels and Air Dolomiti were also canceled. In addition, machines from Croatian, United, Air Canada or the Polish LOT could not take off. The situation was similar in Munich, where Lufthansa itself had canceled 330 flights, but other airlines were also affected. At the smaller airport locations, only the connections to Munich and Frankfurt were mostly canceled.
Passengers could wait for days for connecting flights
The day before, Lufthansa had asked passengers to contact the company online if possible in order to organize new flights or temporary accommodation. “Unfortunately, we can hardly help here at the airport at the moment,” said a company spokesman in the Frankfurt terminal. It is also very difficult to find alternative travel options in the coming days because of the mostly heavily booked flights. In individual cases, guests may have to wait several days for their onward flight.
Verdi and Lufthansa accused each other of being responsible for the situation. Lufthansa deliberately refrained from negotiating again after the warning strike was announced, said Verdi strike leader Marvin Reschinsky. He is now hoping for a quick, good result. “We clearly expect that Lufthansa will step up the pace in the next week so that air traffic is up and running again.” A high degree is also a sign of relief for existing staff if Lufthansa offers more attractive jobs for newcomers.
Lufthansa spokesman Martin Leutke described the warning strike as “unnecessary, excessive and far too extensive”. The company finally submitted a substantial offer that could have been discussed further. However, Verdi decided to carry out the conflict on the backs of the passengers. “It wouldn’t have needed such a strike.”
Lufthansa and Verdi have only spoken in two rounds about the future salaries and working conditions of the approximately 20,000 ground workers. A third date is for the 3./4. Agreed in Frankfurt in August. Verdi had rejected a first offer as too low. The union demands 9.5 percent more salary, but at least 350 euros. As another group of employees, the pilots are still holding a ballot on a labor dispute until Sunday.
dpa
urn:newsml:dpa.com:20090101:220727-99-167958/3
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