Two‑day Lufthansa strike
Germany’s pilots’ union called a two‑day strike for Monday–Tuesday, April 13–14, targeting Lufthansa flights at all German airports and key hubs Frankfurt and Munich. (euronews.com) LoyaltyLobby is warning most Lufthansa flights are expected to be cancelled during the action. (loyaltylobby.com)
Lufthansa pilots began a 48-hour strike on Monday, knocking out hundreds of flights across Germany and snarling travel through Frankfurt and Munich. (dw.com) The union Vereinigung Cockpit said Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine pilots should walk out from 12:01 a.m. on April 13 until 11:59 p.m. on April 14. It also called a one-day strike on April 13 at Eurowings, Lufthansa’s lower-cost subsidiary. (vcockpit.de) The dispute centers on pensions at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo, a pay contract at Lufthansa CityLine, and pensions at Eurowings. Lufthansa said the union was demanding to double what it called an already above-average company pension scheme, and called that demand “absurd and unachievable.” (rte.ie) By Monday morning, Frankfurt Airport was showing most Lufthansa departures within Europe as canceled, and some domestic routes were listed as replacement rail services. Munich Airport warned Lufthansa and Eurowings passengers to expect severe disruption and to check directly with their airline. (dw.com) Lufthansa told passengers it was trying to keep as many flights operating as possible by using other airlines in the Lufthansa Group and partner carriers. The airline said affected travelers can rebook for a later date or request a refund if their flight is canceled. (lufthansa.com) The strike does not cover every route. Vereinigung Cockpit exempted Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine departures from Germany to Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. (vcockpit.de) This is the fourth strike to hit Lufthansa and some subsidiaries in 2026, according to Deutsche Welle, and it comes days after a cabin crew walkout. Bloomberg reported the pilot action threatened fresh disruption just after that earlier stoppage ended. (dw.com) (bloomberg.com) Vereinigung Cockpit president Andreas Pinheiro said the union had avoided strike action over the Easter holidays but had still not received what it considered serious offers. Lufthansa, for now, is telling travelers to keep contact details updated and watch booking status as the two-day stoppage runs through Tuesday, April 14. (vcockpit.de) (lufthansa.com)
