Lufthansa will cancel 800 of its 1 600 scheduled flights, including 58 long-haul flights, today (April 10), as a result of Verdi trade union’s strikes at Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, and Bremen airports.
Ground-handling and support services, and part of the airport fire brigade will strike between 05h00 and 18h00.
Bettina Volkens, member of the executive board of human resources and legal affairs of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: "It is completely unacceptable for the union to impose this conflict on uninvolved passengers. Lufthansa is not a part of this collective bargaining conflict, but unfortunately our customers and our company are being affected by the consequences of this dispute."
Lufthansa requests passengers to check the status of their flights on the airline’s website, where an alternative flight schedule has been published.
Passengers can update their contact details at any time on the website, under ‘My Bookings’ and will be notified of changes via SMS or email. Passengers can choose to be informed about changes in the status of their flights via Facebook or Twitter.
South African Airways services to Germany will be affected today.
The following SAA flights are still scheduled to operate:
- SA 261 – From Frankfurt to Munich
- SA265 – From Munich to Johannesburg
SAA operations will continue under the following conditions: only customers that have the necessary travel documents to enter Germany will be accepted; no customers travelling beyond Frankfurt and Munich will be accepted; no customers requiring special assistance will be accepted; no customers requiring wheelchairs or having approved medical clearance to travel will be accepted; no unaccompanied minors or young passengers requiring a meet and assist will be accepted.
SAA passengers can be rebooked onto another SAA flight for a later date at no extra charge (subject to availability in the same cabin). No cabin changes will be permitted. Rerouting is permitted under prescribed conditions. Tickets must be re-issued on/before April 30 for travel on/before April 30. This policy is only applicable to SAA flights issued on SA (083) ticket stock.
