Two‑day Lufthansa strike
Germany’s pilots’ union called a two‑day strike at Lufthansa for Monday and Tuesday, initiating fresh disruption at the country’s busiest airports and risking knock‑on delays across European networks (euronews.com). The walkout is timed to affect peak travel days and has already prompted airlines and airports to warn passengers about cancellations and timetable changes (euronews.com).
Lufthansa pilots began a two-day strike on Monday, April 13, after their union called walkouts across key parts of the airline group. (lufthansa.com) The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit said its members at Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine should strike from 12:01 a.m. local time on April 13 until 11:59 p.m. on April 14. It also called on Eurowings pilots to strike on April 13. (vcockpit.de) Lufthansa told passengers the strike was announced at short notice and said it was trying to keep as many flights operating as possible by using other Lufthansa Group airlines and partner carriers. The airline said affected travelers could rebook or request refunds if their flights were canceled. (lufthansa.com) The dispute centers on pensions, according to Reuters, which reported on April 11 that Vereinigung Cockpit said Lufthansa had not made an acceptable offer. Bloomberg reported on April 13 that the stoppage was expected to cancel hundreds of flights. (msn.com) (bloomberg.com) The timing hits the start of the workweek at Lufthansa’s main hubs, including Frankfurt and Munich, where missed aircraft rotations can spill into later departures across the network. Lufthansa’s flight-status pages were carrying strike warnings for April 13 and 14 on Monday. (lufthansa.com) (frankfurt-airport.com) The walkout follows other labor disruptions in Germany’s aviation sector this year. Frankfurt Airport’s website was still displaying notices about a Lufthansa cabin-crew strike on April 10, underscoring how closely spaced the stoppages have become. (frankfurt-airport.com) Vereinigung Cockpit said the April 13-14 action covered passenger operations, cargo flying and regional services through Lufthansa CityLine. That means the disruption reaches beyond holiday travelers to freight movements and connecting passengers moving through Germany’s busiest airports. (vcockpit.de) For passengers, Lufthansa’s message on Monday was simple: check booking status before leaving for the airport, because cancellations and timetable changes were still being updated as the strike began. (lufthansa.com)
