What began as a two-day pilot walkout has grown into the most sustained period of industrial action in Lufthansa’s recent history. The Vereinigung Cockpit union’s 48-hour pilot strike, which ran from April 13 to 14, resulted in around 900 flight cancellations on April 13 and another 555 cancellations on April 14.
The disruption did not end there. Cabin crew union UFO called a follow-up strike for April 15 and 16, with Lufthansa warning that 80 to 90 per cent of all flights would be affected across both days.
The back-to-back strikes represent four straight days of severely reduced Lufthansa operations, with wage negotiations still unresolved across all three unions involved: Verdi, UFO, and Vereinigung Cockpit.
Travellers with upcoming Lufthansa bookings should note that Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Discover Airlines, and Edelweiss are not affected and represent the most reliable rebooking options within the group. Under EU261 regulations, passengers are entitled to compensation of up to €600, as a strike by an airline’s own staff does not qualify as extraordinary circumstances.
