Lufthansa flights are set to face major disruption on Friday (10 April) after cabin crew union UFO called a short notice strike at the core Lufthansa brand and its feeder airline Cityline as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
All Lufthansa flight departures from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich will be affected by the strike, which will run from 12:01am to 10:00pm. Cityline cabin crew at nine German airports will also walk out during the same period.
The labour action follows a breakdown in negotiations over a new collective labour agreement, with the aviation group urging the UFO union to resume talks.
“Viable solutions can only be achieved through dialogue. Strikes must always be the last resort. We remain open to talks and therefore call on the union to resume dialogue with us,” Lufthansa said in a statement.
The aviation giant added that it is “working intensively to keep the impact on our passengers as low as possible” and that affected travellers will be “proactively” notified. Those travellers will be able to rebook free of charge on another Lufthansa Group flight between 8 and 17 April, or request a refund until 10 April.
Lufthansa experienced a challenging first quarter, with labour disputes and pilot strikes in February and March causing widespread flight disruptions. However, by late March, the airline agreed a pay deal with ground workers union Verdi.