Lufthansa Strike Hits Frankfurt

Air traffic in and out of Frankfurt airport, Europe’s third busiest, struggled to normalise on at the beginning of the month after hundreds of flights were cancelled due to a Lufthansa cabin crew strike. The effects were felt throughout Europe. The Lufthansa strike affected about 900 flights and caused disruption chaos for thousands of passengers. A Lufthansa spokesman said: “On average there are 1,800 Lufthansa flights during a normal day, around half of these took place.” All German regions and all types of flights have been affected, said the spokesman, including long-haul.

Thousands of passengers faced disruption as the strike – called by the UFO union – affected Germany’s six main airports including Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich. Frankfurt airport was “strongly affected”, the airline said. UFO is seeking a 5% pay increase for cabin crew and assurances on jobs.

The union, which represents about two-thirds of Lufthansa’s 19,000 cabin crew, argues that its members have had no pay rise for three years. The airline has now resumed normal flights and the UFO union representing cabin staff and Lufthansa has now agreed to enter formal mediation talks to resolve the dispute over pay and conditions. Lufthansa has also made concessions on the use of temporary workers