After 18 months of periodic strikes by Lufthansa pilots, the carrier's cabin crews have now kicked off a work-stoppage campaign. And since these scheduled strikes commenced Friday, things have expanded a bit, the Associated Press reported.
The Independent Flight Attendant's Organization (UFO), the cabin crew union, called for all members to walk out Monday from 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time at Frankfurt and Duesseldorf's airports and until midnight in Munich, the AP said. The work stoppages are slated to continue for a week, switching off to different airports.
Saturday saw UFO members called out who were working on Lufthansa's short- and medium-haul fleet in Frankfurt and Duesseldorf, the AP noted.
Lufthansa has canceled 929 Monday flights to and from Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Munich, the AP stated, and the airline estimated that about 113,000 fliers would be impacted by the nixed departures and arrivals.
Regarding grievances, the AP said UFO is seeking transition payments for its 19,000 cabin crew members if they wish to retire early, and this is an element of its contract dispute with an airline in cost-cutting mode.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told Deutsche Welle that these first two days of strikes cost the airline millions, but said the carrier would not give an exact loss amount until the work action was over. The news outlet reported that the pilot strikes have already cost Lufthansa $140 million so far this year.
So far, though, the strikes seem confined to the flagship carrier. Contrary to previous reports, such Lufthansa subsidiaries as Eurowings, Germanwings, Swiss and Austrian Airlines are not participating, the AP said.
Travelers, check Lufthansa's website regarding canceled flight specifics.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
