Lufthansa ground personnel in Germany are on strike March 7 and 8 to support their demands for better compensation and benefits. The strikes are grounding aircraft at three major German airports. (Ver.di)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Public transportation ground to a halt in much of Germany on Thursday as strikes began at both the national railway Deutsche Bahn and Germany’s largest airline Lufthansa, leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
The strike by the German train drivers union GDL launched at 2 a.m. Thursday morning and is causing substantial disruptions across long-distance and regional rail services through Friday, Deutsche Bahn said in a morning statement.
A reduced basic service schedule for train travel started as planned early in the morning but only about one-fifth of long-distance trains are running as scheduled, according to the company.
Services will be restored following the strike’s end late Friday, but delays could continue into Saturday, Deutsche Bahn said.
Air travelers are likewise bracing for significant disruptions as Lufthansa grounded staff and security personnel at Frankfurt, Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports, launching their own strike Thursday through Friday.
Both Frankfurt and Hamburg airports have advised passengers not to travel to the airport and instead utilize online rebooking options offered by airlines.
A strike by security personnel at Frankfurt airport has led to the closure of passenger checkpoints in both terminals, preventing passengers from boarding their flights, the airport operator Fraport said in a statement.
Approximately 650 of the 1,170 scheduled flights for Thursday already have been canceled.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” a Fraport spokesperson said in a statement. “Thousands will not be able to commence their journeys from Frankfurt on Thursday.”
In total, more than 200,000 passengers are affected by the strike as fewer than 20% of planned flight connections could be offered, Lufthansa said in a statement.
Frankfurt airport security staff is expected to return to work at midnight tonight, while the nationwide Lufthansa strike is expected to end Saturday morning.
THe Ver.di union wants to increase the pressure on the airline before the planned fifth round of collective bargaining March 13-14.
Lufthansa ground personnel are demanding a wage increase of 2.80 euros per hour, higher bonuses and overtime surcharges among other demands. The requests aim to offset employees’ purchasing power loss due to high inflation, which has caused sharp increases in food and energy prices, the union says.
Affected passengers can rebook their tickets and are entitled to a later flight, Lufthansa said.
