Why Lufthansa Flights Are Disrupted: Inside the Cabin Crew Strike

BERLIN — Lufthansa flights faced significant disruption on Friday as the cabin crew union UFO staged a one-day strike, the airline’s third work stoppage in two months. Operations at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs were hardest hit.

The strike ran from 12:01 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, affecting all Lufthansa departures from major hubs. Cityline cabin crew also walked out at nine other German airports. Tens of thousands of passengers faced cancellations and delays, according to airport operator Fraport.

At Frankfurt Airport, Fraport reported roughly 580 flights canceled, affecting about 72,000 of the 155,000 expected passengers. The figures include all airlines operating at the airport, not just Lufthansa.

UFO said the action stems from unresolved talks over working conditions for 19,000 cabin crew and redundancy terms for around 800 staff at Cityline, a Lufthansa feeder airline that is winding down operations.

“This escalation has been a long time coming,” said Harry Jaeger, who leads negotiations for UFO. “We would have very much liked to avoid it.”

Lufthansa Airlines brand chief Jens Ritter called the strike “completely disproportionate,” adding, “Regulations from the past will not carry us into the future. We need to talk to the union about this.” He noted that Lufthansa provides some of the best employment conditions in the sector.

Earlier strikes by Lufthansa cabin crew and pilots in February and March also caused widespread cancellations as labor disputes continue at Germany’s flagship carrier.

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