Strike to see Lufthansa cancel 1300 flights
By Steve Creedy Wed Nov 6, 2019
About 180,000 Lufthansa passengers are due to be affected by 1300 flight cancellations on Thursday and Friday due to industrial action by the Independent Flight Attendants Organization.
The German carrier said the two-day strike would see it operate about 2300 of 3000 planned flights on Thursday and 2400 on Friday.
The flight attendants are striking over pay and conditions. They had previously planned industrial action in October but called it off at the last minute.
READ: Lufthansa expands basic economy on intercontinental routes
Their renewed action comes as Germany gears up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall on Saturday.
The airline said passengers should check the status of their flights on www.lufthansa.com by entering their flight number before starting their journey. Those who had provided contact details would also receive SMS or emails.
“Lufthansa regrets the inconvenience for the passengers,’’ it said.
Lufthansa Group airlines Eurowings, Germanwings, SunExpress, Lufthansa Cityline, SWISS, Edelweiss, Austrian Airlines, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines will not be affected by the two-day strike.
The company said it was examining using larger aircraft on some routes to offer passengers affected by the strike alternative travel options.
It is waiving rebooking fees for passengers on all flights via Frankfurt and Munich over the two days and allowing passengers to exchange their tickets for another Lufthansa flight over the next 10 days.
“Passengers can use the Deutsche Bahn in exchange for flights on domestic routes, regardless of whether or not their flight has been canceled,’’ it said.
“Customers can convert their ticket into a Deutsche Bahn ticket under "My bookings" at www.lufthansa.com. Therefore, it is not necessary that passengers present themselves at the airport.
“Seat reservation is recommended.”
Passengers are also entitled under European rules to take flights on competitor airlines with available seats and may be eligible for meals and accommodation.
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