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Tens of hundreds of passengers throughout Germany endured important journey disruption on Friday as cabin crew at Lufthansa and its regional unit, Lufthansa CityLine, staged a day-long strike.
The commercial motion, organised by the UFO union, ran from midnight till 10pm (8pm GMT).
Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport reported roughly 580 flight cancellations by Friday morning, impacting round 72,000 passengers. These figures, masking all airways working on the hub, not solely Lufthansa, had been anticipated to evolve all through the day.
The strike additionally severely affected Munich, one other key Lufthansa hub, whereas CityLine cabin crew walked out at 9 airports nationwide.
In the meantime Lufthansa’s latest subsidiary, Lufthansa Metropolis Airways, efficiently signed its inaugural labour settlement. Lufthansa model chief Jens Ritter criticised the widespread industrial motion as “utterly disproportionate,” although UFO negotiators maintained that “escalation was inevitable given stalled talks.”
The walkout stands in sharp distinction to developments at Lufthansa Metropolis Airways, the group’s latest and smallest subsidiary, the place the rival union Verdi secured the service’s first collective wage settlement masking 500 cockpit and cabin employees.
The deal, reached after marathon talks final week, will elevate fundamental salaries by between 20 per cent and 35 per cent in three levels by means of March 2029, and contains additional days off, extra trip, improved roster planning and expanded pension help, Verdi mentioned.
The diverging fortunes of the 2 subsidiaries mirror a broader restructuring underway contained in the Lufthansa Group. Lufthansa operates long-haul and main European routes by means of its mainline airline, whereas short-haul feeder flights have traditionally been dealt with by CityLine.
The group has mentioned it plans to shut CityLine by year-end, with its feeder operations transitioning to Metropolis Airways, which was based in 2022 as a cost-efficient different amid rising aggressive pressures in Europe’s aviation business.
The closure plan has sparked anger amongst CityLine’s employees, who worry job losses and unsure futures.
