A German court has ruled that a planned strike by Lufthansa cabin crew can go ahead. Lufthansa had attempted to gain an injunction against the strike as it doesn't recognise the UFO union's status.
Lufthansa cabin crew are currently proposing 48 hours worth of strikes as they seek a 1.8% pay rise. The strike action is being organised by the UFO cabin crew union. However, Lufthansa does not believe that the UFO in its current form is qualified to represent cabin crew. As such, the union believes that there is no other course of action besides striking.
Strike is lawful
Lufthansa today attended a court hearing in order to try and halt the planned strike action taking place on Thursday and Friday. The airline had been claiming that the strike was unlawful, and using this as a reason to claim an injunction against the union. Had this gone through, the UFO union would have been unable to hold its planned strike.
However, the German court ruled that the strike was 'not unlawful' according to the German news website DW. As such, the airline is surely entering crisis mode as it is set to face severe disruption from midnight tonight.
A Lufthansa representative told Simple Flying:
"We regret the decision taken by the Frankfurt Labor Court and will file an appeal with the Hessian Regional Labor Court. At the same time, we are working very hard on an alternative flight schedule, which we will publish as soon as possible. We will do everything possible to minimize the impact on our customers, who will suffer as a result of this massive strike.”
What will happen?
Lufthansa's service will likely be severely affected tomorrow unless the airline manages to reach an agreement with the union within the ten and a half hours. Lufthansa cabin crew in Frankfurt and Munich are set to walk out from midnight tonight. As cabin crew are essential for an aircraft to operate safely, without them, flights cannot go ahead.
In addition to the strike, the UFO union has called for Lufthansa cabin crew to come together in Frankfurt on Friday. They are being encouraged to march from the airport's drop off area to the Lufthansa aviation center. Recently a British Airways pilot strike saw almost all flights canceled.
What if I have a flight booked?
If you have a flight booked with Lufthansa, it is best to check the status of the booking online. Lufthansa will upload a special flight schedule to its website by 15:00CET today. The airline has informed that it will operate 2,300 of 3,000 flights tomorrow, and 2,400 of 3,000 flights on Friday.
Anybody flying tomorrow or Friday will be able to transfer their flights for free. Meanwhile, any domestic passengers are able to exchange their ticket for a free train ticket to use on Deutsche Bahn services. Additionally, any passengers affected by the strikes tomorrow and Friday are likely to be able to claim compensation under the EU 261 scheme.
Lufthansa's CEO, Carsten Spohr, has invited union leaders to meet in Frankfurt at 18:00 today. This would potentially give the airline six hours for discussions to try and halt the flights.
Are you due to fly with Lufthansa on Thursday or Friday? Let us know your thoughts on the strike in the comments below!