Workers at Seven German Airports to Strike on Friday

German trade union Verdi which represents members from over 1,000 different occupations, at some German airports, has given notice of its plan to strike on Feb. 17, an event that could cause mass disruptions for those traveling through Germany.

The 24-hour strike is expected to impact arriving and departing flights at seven German airports—Main, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover, and Bremen. Travelers going through those airports should be prepared to make alternative plans.

Lufthansa, which itself is dealing with a major disruption this week after an IT system failure in Hamburg, is telling passengers to check the status of their flight before going to the airport on Friday. 

“The trade union ver.di strike call at the airports of Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hanover, Dortmund, and Bremen on Friday, February 17, 2023 from 00:01 to 23:59 hours (CET) will have a massive impact on flight operations,” Lufthansa said in a message to travel partners on Wednesday.

Impacted Lufthansa flyers, including those on sister airlines Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and SWISS, can rebook once free of charge or have the ticket refunded.

“The Verdi trade union in Germany has called on employees at several German airports to go on strike for 24 hours on Friday, 17 February. As a result, flights to the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, among others, Austrian Airlines cannot be operated for the entire day. Austrian Airlines flights to these airports can also not be operated for the duration of the strike. Affected passengers will be informed,” Austria Airlines said in a statement on Thursday. 

Verdi was the same union that called for Lufthansa ground workers to go on an all-day “warning strike” to pressure Lufthansa ahead of an August negotiation. The union is now pushing for a pay boost for workers at those seven airports and are currently in negotiations.