Germany faces travel chaos amid Lufthansa snags, strike
1 min read 26 Mar 2023, 07:21 PM ISTVerdi is demanding a wage raise of 10.5% for public sector workers.
PremiumDeutsche Lufthansa AG, a German airline, announced on Sunday that it had to cancel some of its flights due to technical problems.
This comes just hours before a major strike threatened to force most of Germany’s air and rail services to a standstill.
The cancellation and delays at Lufthansa were caused by technical problems at external service providers, affecting check-in and boarding in Frankfurt, the carrier said on Sunday, adding that the issues have been mostly resolved. Lufthansa will offer alternative connections and rebookings on trains, it said.
According to a statement, that might be easier said than done as Verdi and EVG transport and railway unions are planning industrial action that will begin at midnight for 24 hours, with the unions expecting severe disruption to travel.
Verdi is demanding a wage raise of 10.5% for public sector workers.
Major airports including Frankfurt won’t operate Monday. Frankfurt Airport also advised passengers changing planes to avoid the hub. Long-distance, regional and local trains operated by Deutsche Bahn and another railway will also come to a standstill, EVG said.
Verdi Hamburg announced that it had reached agreements with all the affected companies to ensure the safety of passengers in case of emergencies during the planned strike. The agreements cover various scenarios, including accidents, emergency landings, and medical or patient transport.
European workers in public service roles have staged repeated walkouts in recent weeks demanding better pay amid record inflation and a cost of living crisis. In France, President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform has prompted violent clashes.
The disruptions to French and German airports in particular hit the industry ahead of a peak travel period, with Easter approaching and travellers returning in droves after years of Covid-19 restrictions.
