The Verdi union has called on public sector employees at Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen airports to organize a one day strike full Friday, February 17, 2023.
Following the strike announcement, airports in Frankfurt and Munich, among others, are suspending regular passenger operations for Friday. As a result, the Lufthansa Group is unfortunately forced to suspend flight operations at its German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, particularly for the day of February 17, canceling more than 1.300 flights in total.
Strike at German airports
Lufthansa has already informed passengers affected by the cancellations and, where possible, is offering alternative connections and rail bookings. In addition, customers are asked to check the status of their flight in advance on lufthansa.com and in the Lufthansa app.
“We regret the enormous impact of this warning strike which is being carried out to the detriment of our passengers. We are not a party to collective bargaining and have no influence over it – however, our passengers and we are massively affected. Moreover, 1.300 flight cancellations for the airlines of the Lufthansa Group show once again how vulnerable and fragile the air transport system is in the face of strikes", said Michael Niggemann, member of the Executive Committee and Chief Human Resources Officer & Infrastructure Lufthansa Group.
Lufthansa expects flight operations to largely return to normal as early as Saturday, February 18, 2023.
Eligible and ineligible strikes for financial compensation
It should be noted that passengers affected by Lufthansa canceled flights they are not eligible for financial compensation of up to 600 euros. The strike is not organized by airline staff. Instead, passengers have the right to rerouting, rescheduling, reimbursement, possibly accommodation until the next flight on which they were rescheduled.
According the rights of air passengers, there are also situations when strikes may be eligible for financial compensation with a value of up to 600 EURO. Here we refer to strikes organized by airline employees. There is a precedent where a European court has ruled that these strikes are eligible for compensation because they are airline-related and avoidable.