Lufthansa has cancelled nearly 800 flights after pilots and cabin crew staged a 24-hour strike in Germany over pay and pension disputes. The industrial action, which began at 12.01am on Thursday and ran until 11.59pm the same day, disrupted travel plans for around 100,000 passengers. The knock-on effects are still being felt today as the airline works to rebook affected travellers.
The walkouts were called by the Vereinigung Cockpit and UFO unions, with about 4,800 pilots and roughly 20,000 cabin crew taking part. Most flights from Lufthansa's main hub at Frankfurt Airport were cancelled on Thursday morning, and the departures board showed widespread disruption. The airport was reported to be unusually calm as many passengers, having been notified of the cancellations, did not attend.
Lufthansa operates flights from several UK airports, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle, primarily connecting to its German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. The airline said it was attempting to rebook passengers onto services operated by partner airlines or other Lufthansa Group carriers such as Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
UFO union representative Harry Jaeger said the coincidence of the two strikes was welcome, telling Reuters: "We want to annoy management, not passengers." Meanwhile, travellers are advised of further disruption on the continent, with a nationwide strike scheduled in Italy on February 16 affecting ITA Airways and Vueling pilots and cabin crew. Airports including Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo and Naples International are expected to be impacted.
Under European Union regulations, which also cover UK travellers, passengers affected by short-notice cancellations or significant delays may be entitled to compensation of between £210 and £520. Company strikes are not considered "extraordinary circumstances" under EU law, meaning affected passengers may be able to claim.
