Lufthansa strike: Airline to cancel flights this week as cabin crew union call fresh two-day walkout affecting 100,000 travellers

Lufthansa's cabin crew union has called a fresh two-day strike this week with the airline warning that around 100,000 travellers are likely to be affected. The strikes will take place today (Tuesday 12 March) and tomorrow (Wednesday 13 March).

The strikes will affect two of Germany's busiest airports, Frankfurt and Munich. The union said that the strike will cover all departures out of Frankfurt airport on Tuesday and all flights out of Munich on Wednesday, from 4am (3am GMT) to 11pm local time (10pm GMT).

It will affect both Lufthansa and its short-distance, low-cost subsidiary, Cityline. The strikes come as the Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) is calling for a 15% pay increase and a €3,000 ($3,280; £2,550) inflation compensation payment for its 18,000 members with Lufthansa and 1,000 members at Cityline.

The union said that more than 96% of UFO's members voted in favour of the strike. Last week Lufthansa announced that its profits had doubled in 2023 to €1.67bn ($1.82bn; £1.42bn) from the previous year, however the union says that the airline is still failing to come to an agreement with staff. The UFO's negotiator said on Saturday (9 March) that Lufthansa’s "management wants the situation to worsen, at passengers' expense."

Around 200,000 passengers were affected by delays and cancellations after Lufthansa ground staff in Germany went on strike for two days last week. It was organised by the Ver.di union who said that its 25,000 ground staff members want a 12.5% pay rise or at least €500 more per month and an inflation compensation bonus. Lufthansa said it offered to increase pay by at least 10% but Ver.di said the offer was not enough. 

In a statement, Lufthansa said: "Passengers who will be affected by an irregularity will receive information about cancellations and rebooking options by email or in the Lufthansa app." The airline advises passengers to check its website for updates and keep eye on Lufthansa's X account (Twitter) for further updates.