GERMANY: Lufthansa prepares to cancel 3,800 flights during 3-day pilot strike

Record ID: 341538

  • Title: GERMANY: Lufthansa prepares to cancel 3,800 flights during 3-day pilot strike
  • Date: 1st April 2014
  • Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (APRIL 1, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LUFTHANSA PLANES ON TARMAC AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT LUFTHANSA PLANE IN THE AIR VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE FRANKFURT AIRPORT TERMINAL LUFTHANSA SYMBOL VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE TERMINAL DEPARTURES BOARD PASSENGERS INSIDE TERMINAL DEPARTURES BOARD LUFTHANSA SPOKESPERSON, BARBARA SCHAEDLER WALKING PAST INSIDE TERMINAL (SOUNDBI
  • Embargoed: 16th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA2QUKC4NPYSXKCNZ8UATPL7DF1
  • Story Text: Lufthansa says it has cancelled 3,800 flights for April 2-4, or virtually all of its operations, due to a planned walkout by pilots, in what will be one of the biggest strikes ever to hit the German airline.
    Vereinigung Cockpit, the union representing most of Lufthansa's 5,400 pilots, last week said it was calling for a three day strike from April 2 over plans by Germany's largest airline to scrap an early retirement deal.
    The Lufthansa units affected by the strikes would normally operate around 4,300 flights over the three days, but the walkout means it will be able to operate just 500 short and long-haul flights during the three-day period, it said.
    The strike affects flights run by its Lufthansa brand as well as its Germanwings low-cost unit, and it has also cancelled 23 out of a planned 31 Lufthansa Cargo flights for the strike period.
    But the airline says it is well prepared and is doing all it can to inform customers about their options.
    "The passengers can rebook for free and not only this week but they can also rebook for free in the next three months. They can also take the train with their flight ticket. There are many possibilities. I recommend that they look at the Lufthansa and Germanwings homepages and that's where they get the best information. There is no rush," said Lufthansa spokesperson Barbara Schaedler in Frankfurt on Tuesday (April 1), adding:
    "We are ready to talk. There was an offer and now we just need to start talking about the offer in order to understand the different positions. We really hope that after the strike, or even during the strike, negotiations can begin again."
    Although Lufthansa had improved its offer, the pilots said it wasn't enough as it didn't apply to pilots joining after 2014.
    "Of course we have understanding for the frustration that we are causing the passengers. We don't want to affect the passengers but rather the employers but unfortunately it is only possible to strike in the cockpit. So in order to reach the employers, unfortunately the passengers have to suffer," said Markus Wahl, a member of the union's board.
    "If there is an offer made which is negotiable then we would of course look at it and with the option of stopping the strike," he added.
    Lufthansa said on Monday (March 31) the strike would cost it tens of millions of euros just for its Lufthansa and Germanwings passenger operations.
    Back in 2010, Lufthansa pilots called a four-day strike over cost cuts. Although the action was called off after one day, it still resulted in the cancellation of around 2,000 flights and cost Lufthansa 48 million euros ($66 million) in lost revenues.
    Analysts now estimate that a full three-day strike could cost the airline 30-50 million euros in profit.
    Lufthansa said it would rebook customers onto other airlines or trains. Its units Swiss, Austrian, Eurowings, CityLine, Air Dolomiti, plus partner Brussels Airlines, would use larger aircraft on routes to and from Germany where possible.
    A spokesperson for Germany's Deutsche Bahn said all the necessary steps were being taken to get as many customers as possible to their destinations.
    "We are well prepared for the coming days. From Wednesday we will have extra staff at the stations, especially at those which are near airports. The staff will help passengers to find the correct trains so that they can get to their destinations quickly. In addition we have extra trains on standby which we can put into action on those routes which are especially busy," Juergen Kornmann told Reuters TV.
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