Lufthansa crew strikes
Lufthansa pilots launched a two-day strike and cabin crew planned a follow-up walkout that will cancel hundreds of flights across Germany on April 15–16. (dw.com) Travel advisories are already flagging disruptions for passengers connecting through Frankfurt and Munich as the crew action is expected to hit most scheduled flights. (loyaltylobby.com)
Lufthansa is heading into four straight days of labor disruption, with pilots striking on April 13 and 14 and cabin crew set to walk out on April 15 and 16. (dw.com) The pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, called a 48-hour strike covering Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine from 12:01 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 13, through 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14. Eurowings pilots were also called out for April 13. (vcockpit.de) Lufthansa said the strike calls by Vereinigung Cockpit and the cabin crew union UFO will restrict its schedule from April 13 through April 16, and passengers booked on Lufthansa-operated flights on those dates can rebook free of charge or request refunds. The airline’s travel notice covers tickets issued on or before April 13 for Lufthansa-operated flights, including Lufthansa CityLine, on April 13, 14, 15 and 16. (lufthansa.com) Frankfurt and Munich are the main pressure points because they are Lufthansa’s two biggest hubs, and travel advisories already warn that most scheduled flights there are likely to be hit. Lufthansa’s public advisories tell passengers to check flight status before leaving for the airport. (loyaltylobby.com) This is not a one-off stoppage. Deutsche Welle reported Monday’s cancellations were already in the hundreds, and described the April 13 to 16 turmoil as the fourth strike at Lufthansa in 2026. (dw.com) The two disputes are running on separate tracks. Vereinigung Cockpit is representing pilots, while UFO represents cabin crew, and Lufthansa said both unions announced the actions at short notice. (lufthansa.com) UFO had already staged a one-day cabin crew strike on Friday, April 10, focused on departures from Frankfurt and Munich, before escalating again this week. Its earlier strike call covered Lufthansa departures from those two airports from 12:01 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time. (ufo-online.aero) For travelers, the practical issue is that a canceled Lufthansa flight can also break onward connections far beyond Germany. Lufthansa says affected passengers may be moved to other Lufthansa Group or partner-airline flights, and in some cases can switch to Deutsche Bahn rail tickets on certain routes if no suitable flight is available. (lufthansa.com) The next test is whether Lufthansa and the unions can restart talks before Thursday night. Until then, the airline’s own guidance is simple: expect disruption through April 16 and check booking status before heading to the airport. (lufthansa.com)
