A 24-hour strike from ground staff at Berlin’s Tegel and Schonefeld airports has caused major disruption with hundreds of cancelled flights to and from the city.
The strike is taking place from 0400 today (Friday March 10) until 0500 on Saturday March 11.
Both airports have warned that “after the end of the strike action restrictions in air traffic may continue”, and is advising “all passengers to enquire about the current status of their flights before travelling to the airport”.
The report said that passengers with Lufthansa, Eurowings and Air Berlin travelling within Germany have the option to convert tickets into Deutsche Bahn rail travel, while some international services are being re-routed to Hanover.
The strike is over pay with service union Verdi demanding a pay rise of one euro an hour for the next 12 months. The airport employers have offered an 8% rise spread over three years and refused to negotiate.
“Unfortunately a strike is inevitable because the employers have still not delivered a suitable offer, and it seems that it’s not currently possible to negotiate an agreement,” said Verdi negotiator Enrico Rümker.
The employers’ group called the new strikes “irresponsible”, saying the action pushes finding a solution further into the distance.