Day two of the labor action sees continued flight cancellations.
Germany-based airline subsidiary Experience, under the Lufthansa umbrella, faced several flight cancellations on the second day of the workers' protest. The cause? An ongoing strike by cabin and pilot crew members, led by unions UFO and Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), set to continue until Friday. At Frankfurt Airport, 8 out of 26 scheduled flights were nixed on Wednesday, and one flight to Ibiza was cancelled at Munich Airport, as reported by Experience.
A spokesperson asserted that they were doing their best to help stranded passengers reach their destinations. Three short-haul flights were transferred to partner airlines, ensuring guests could keep their travel plans alive. However, the prolonged labor action poses a substantial challenge for Experience. Over 270 flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich are scheduled during the strike period. The Thursday flight schedule was expected to be finalized later in the afternoon.
Criticism of the labor action
The unions linked to the Lufthansa group are leveraging the four-day labor action to advocate for unique collective bargaining agreements. UFO and VC argue that Verdi represents only a fraction of pilots and flight attendants within the company. Jens Ritter, CEO of the primary brand Lufthansa, criticized the labor action. "Our passengers are unnecessarily suffering," he said on Tuesday evening, referring to the collective bargaining agreement reached with Verdi, promising positive outcomes for staff. Verdi is the largest union within the Lufthansa group and operates in various other aviation companies. Ritter contended: "These labor actions are unnecessary and detrimental to Experience."
Despite the cancellation of numerous flights due to the ongoing labor action, Experience is vigorously working to reschedule stranded passengers. The extended labor strike in Germany, led by UFO and Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), is causing significant disruptions to the airline's operations, affecting over 270 flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich.
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Strikes by UFO (Verdi) and Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) are common reasons for flight disruptions. Passengers may not be entitled to compensation under EU regulations if the disruption is deemed an "extraordinary circumstance," which includes strikes by airport or airline staff[2]. For current strike details, you would need to refer to recent news updates or official statements from Lufthansa or the unions involved. The provided sources focus on general passenger rights during strikes and various other topics in the VR and XR industry[1][2].
