The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union announced on Tuesday evening that it will strike Lufthansa again on Thursday and Friday. The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings will only be affected on Thursday, according to the professional association representing cockpit personnel in Germany. The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) union had already called for strikes at Lufthansa on Wednesday and Thursday. Pilots had already walked out on Monday and Tuesday.
On Thursday and Friday, VC will strike all Lufthansa departures from German airports and all departures of Lufthansa subsidiaries Cargo and Cityline. The only exemptions are flights to Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Lufthansa strike begins Thursday at 00:01 and ends Friday at 23:59. Eurowings will only be affected on Thursday.
VC President Andreas Pinheiro explained the decision, stating: "Neither is there an offer for company pension provision at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo, nor is there a viable offer for a new remuneration collective agreement at Lufthansa Cityline or for company pension provision at Eurowings." Therefore, VC is proposing a "binding arbitration procedure" to the employer side.
On Monday evening, the Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) also called for two-day strikes at Lufthansa to increase pressure on the corporation in negotiations over a new framework collective agreement. On Wednesday and Thursday, all departures of the Lufthansa core brand from Frankfurt and Munich airports will be affected, as well as all departures of Lufthansa subsidiary Cityline from Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Bremen, Stuttgart, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Hannover.
The cabin crew strikes follow directly after pilot walkouts that had already significantly disrupted Lufthansa's flight operations on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday alone, 565 flights were canceled at Frankfurt Airport, according to airport officials. On Monday, more than 700 flights had already been canceled due to the work stoppages, according to VC.
Lufthansa sharply criticized the pilot strikes. "The core demand of the union after doubling an already above-average and excellent company pension scheme is absurd and unfulfillable," the company stated. The corporation is working "flat out to keep the impact on our passengers as minimal as possible" and is attempting to have as many flights as possible taken over by other airlines in the group and partner airlines.
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