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Lufthansa
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- LH/DLH
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1953
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- Airline Group:
- Lufthansa Group
- CEO:
- Carsten Spohr
- Country:
- Germany
Today will be a day of misery for most passengers booked to fly with the German flag carrier Lufthansa. The airline has canceled the vast majority of its flying schedule as roughly 20,000 members of ground handling staff stage a warning strike over wages.
This summer has been hit and miss for airlines. While Ryanair has carried more passengers than ever before, airlines and airports across Europe have been overshadowed by strike action, staff shortages, and capacity constrictions at major hubs. Already affected by the latter two, Lufthansa is now feeling the impact of strike action too.
Just eight flights airborne
At 08:30 UTC this morning, just eight Lufthansa flights were in the air. 646 Frankfurt flights were canceled, along with 330 Munich flights. The cancelations will impact around 134,000 passengers.
Just two of the airborne flights were long-haul trips, one to Singapore and one from Rio De Janeiro. The other seven were all short-haul services that were among the few flights to get airborne to the following destinations,
- LH 2516 - Munich to Dublin
- LH 1820 - Munich to Ibiza
- LH 1906 - Munich to Catania
- LH2705 - Chania to Munich
- LH1712 - Munich to Tirana
- LH1768 - Munich to Larnaca
(A European Flight Academy Cessna Citation pilot training flight was also flying with the Lufthansa callsign LH9973)
Flight tracking experts Spire Aviation visualized the reduction in activity from Lufthansa's hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. On the left, the active flights over the course of yesterday. On the right, those which have happened today.
Don't expect normality soon
Just 24 hours earlier, the skies above Europe were filled with Lufthansa flights and a steady stream of jets returning home across the Atlantic. Due to the strike action, none of this can take place. The airline has pilots and cabin crew available to operate the flights, but only a handful of employees are available to check passengers in, handle luggage, and dispatch aircraft.
The disruption won't just disappear as soon as the strike action ends. Some aircraft will likely have spent the night away from Frankfurt and Munich, so they will still be there on Thursday. However, many aircraft and crew may be displaced due to the strike. That's not to mention the passengers. On Lufthansa's busiest routes, double digits of flights have been canceled today. Accommodating all these passengers will take several days at least, if not longer. Bear in mind that future flights operating likely already have a healthy number of bookings.
The current strike will end on Thursday morning at 06:00 CEST (04:00 UTC). While Lufthansa will be able to start rebuilding its operations, it isn't out of the woods yet. The airline will return to negotiations with the Verdi union on August 3rd and 4th for further pay negotiations regarding the 20,000 striking members. If an agreement is not reached at this time, further strikes could be announced by the union and its members.
Impacted by the strikes? Lufthansa explains your options on its flight information page.
Has the Lufthansa strike action impacted you? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!