Lufthansa pilots strike

Lufthansa pilots walked off the job on Monday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 14, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations across Germany. (dw.com) The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit said the strike ran from 12:01 a.m. on April 13 to 11:59 p.m. on April 14 local time at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine and Eurowings. Lufthansa said it was trying to keep as many flights operating as possible by using other Lufthansa Group and partner airlines. (vcockpit.de; lufthansa.com) Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa’s two biggest hubs, were hit hardest. Deutsche Welle reported that nearly 75% of about 350 scheduled Lufthansa departures in Frankfurt were canceled, with additional disruptions in Berlin, Stuttgart and Leipzig/Halle. (dw.com) The walkout is the fourth strike to hit Lufthansa and some of its subsidiaries in 2026. A one-day stoppage in February canceled nearly 800 flights and affected about 100,000 passengers, according to Lufthansa figures cited by Deutsche Welle. (dw.com) This round of labor action comes as Lufthansa is negotiating separately with pilots and with the UFO cabin crew union. Deutsche Welle reported on April 13 that UFO had already called another strike for Wednesday and Thursday, raising the prospect of four straight days of disruption. (dw.com) The pilots’ dispute centers on pensions, according to Bloomberg and Deutsche Welle. Bloomberg reported that Vereinigung Cockpit called the April 13-14 strike over pension terms, extending a conflict that had already triggered a two-day pilot strike in March. (bloomberg.com; dw.com) Lufthansa told passengers to check their booking status and said travelers could rebook for a later date or request a refund if their flight was affected. The airline also directed customers to its chat assistant and live flight-status pages for updates during the stoppage. (lufthansa.com; lufthansa.com) By Tuesday, the strike had become both a travel problem and a test of Lufthansa’s ability to keep its network running through repeated labor fights. With pilots stopping work through April 14 and cabin crew threatening more action immediately after, passengers faced another week of uncertainty at Frankfurt and Munich. (dw.com; aerotime.aero)