Lufthansa Flight Attendants to Strike Friday

UPDATE: 290 Lufthansa flights were cancelled so far this morning.

The union that represents Lufthansa’s cabin crews will begin a weeklong strike on Friday, Nov. 6.

The Organization of Independent Flight Attendants (UFO) had been in negotiations with Lufthansa management over plans to cut benefits for over a year, but talks broke down last weekend and the union announced today that it will go ahead with a work stoppage.

“There is no option anymore that would allow us to prevent a strike,” said UFO chief Nocoley Baublies in a Thursday morning statement.

According to Baublies, the strike will not start before noon GMT on Friday and “what happens after that, we’ll announce tomorrow morning,” he said. But Reuters reports that Friday will be the first day of a week of strikes.

Flights by the Lufthansa City Line, Germanwings, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and SWISS will not be affected by the strike.

Lufthansa is offering any passenger with a booked flight from, to, or via Frankfurt, Munich, or Dusseldorf between Nov. 6 and 9—whose flight is not canceled and whose ticket was issued before Thursday—a rebook free of charge.

Customers affected by a cancellation due to the strike can rebook free of charge or have their tickets refunded. Refunds can be made directly in the GDS without approval from Lufthansa.

Agents with clients in Germany can also receive rail vouchers good on Deutsche Bahn trains.

Status of flights will be available on the Lufthansa website starting Thursday night.

Agents who want their clients to be notified of flight cancellations via text should register their cell phones in the customer profiles on the website.

Lufthansa and unions
While the weeklong strike is coming from the UFO, Lufthansa is at odds with a number of different staff groups as it tries to cut costs.

Verdi, the ground, cargo, and cabin crew staff union, has been in talks with Lufthansa regarding a cut to its members’ pensions. The two sides have yet to come to an agreement, with another round of negotiations between the two scheduled for Nov. 10.

In September, the German pilot union, Vereinigung Cockpit, caused 84 of Lufthansa’s 170 long-haul flights to be cancelled because of a one day strike caused by disputes over pay, pensions, and cost cuts.

Other strikes by the pilot union over the past 18 months have caused a $141 million hit to Lufthansa profits, according to Reuters.

Pic: Lasse Fuss