Air traffic in Europe will be affected on Wednesday by a strike from the ground staff of the German airline Lufthansa, through which the Verdi trade union wants to achieve a salary increase.
The company announced that it is canceling more than 1,000 connections planned for Wednesday, mainly from Frankfurt am Main and Munich. The mid-holiday strike will affect about 144,000 people scheduled to travel with Lufthansa on Wednesday.
It was not possible for everyone to book tickets for another date because the planes are occupied. The airline is advising customers who have not been offered a replacement flight not to go to the airport since there will be few or no service counters open.
According to a statement from Prague Airport on Tuesday, three connections between Prague and Munich were canceled for today, as well as four departures from Prague to Frankfurt and three arrivals from Frankfurt to Prague.
Lufthansa Chairman Harry Hohmeister sharply criticized plans by Verdi trade unionists to strike during the summer holidays. According to him, it destroys people’s “holiday dreams.”
The DPA news agency reported that this is the first strike by Lufthansa ground staff since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is taking place against the background of a chaotic season in aviation. A shortage of ground staff and people’s increased interest in travel has complicated check-ins at airports in European countries this summer. According to the Verdi union, the current situation is due to poor management at airports and airlines, as well as excessive layoffs during the coronavirus crisis.
