Lufthansa says 929 flights cancelled due to strike

The Lufthansa cabin crew has been striking since Friday, according to broadcaster NOS. On Saturday, it called out members on the airline’s short- and medium-haul fleet in Frankfurt and crews in Duesseldorf.

The Executive Boards of the Lufthansa Group and Lufthansa German Airlines will decide Monday on the ramifications of present strike action by the UFO union of cabin personnel, which is without precedent in Lufthansa history.

Hitting out at Lufthansa, Nicoley Baublies, the head of the UFO, said the company has “not once tried to get in touch” since the talks fell apart.

Flights operated by these airlines will run as planned.

The airline’s management met on Monday, 9 November, to consider what steps it can take in the dispute with its 19 000 cabin crew members.

Lufthansa and UFO have been negotiating for about two years, as Lufthansa seeks to cut costs in its fight against competition from budget carriers. Additionally, the airline is attempting to bring down pension costs as part of the company’s savings drive to be more competitive in today’s travel industry.

The union told The Wall Street Journal that Lufthansa has not been in contact with them since Thursday evening.

Despite announcing last month that it expected record profits in 2015, the Lufthansa has previously said it must make cost reductions now if it is to compete in the long term. “For that reason, Lufthansa requests all passengers early on to stay up-to-date by checking the flight status”.

Passengers at Arlanda airport on a previous occasion.

The union has threatened to extend its strike through the end of the week by rotating labor disruptions across Lufthansa’s hubs and important bases. That is not correct. Lufthansa’s offer to UFO also included the further option of having the undrawn transitional pension amount paid out in lump-sum form – a payment which could have totaled as much as Euro 380,000. They are likely to remain in the city because of the strike. “That is not a good starting point to re-start our negotiations”.

The union started a series of walk-outs on Friday that is set to become the longest ever strike at the carrier.

Strikes are no stranger to Lufthansa or other European airlines.