Ground handling staff of Germany’s largest airline Lufthansa have launched another warning strike at several German airports.
At Frankfurt airport, the country’s busiest international hub, more than 600 departing and arriving Lufthansa flights were cancelled, state broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk reported.
The strike began at 4:00 a.m. local time (0300GMT) and was due to continue until 7:10 a.m. (0610GMT) Wednesday at seven airports, affecting more than 100,000 passengers.
About 400 scheduled flights to Munich airport were also cancelled. Passengers were advised to check the current status of their flight before travelling to the airport.
The airline notes that passengers whose flight is cancelled due to the strike will be able to rebook their ticket for another date free of charge via the airline’s website or app, while those customers whose flight was scheduled within Germany will be given a voucher via Lufthansa’s website for rail travel.
Lufthansa ground staff at airports in Berlin, Cologne-Bonn, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart have also joined the strike, according to the Verdi union. This is the second mass strike since the beginning of the year.
As part of the ongoing collective bargaining agreement, the union is demanding a 12.5 per cent pay rise and at least €500 ($540) a month for some 25,000 ground handling staff, as well as a one-off bonus of €3,000 ($3,250) to compensate for the cost of living crisis.
A new round of talks between Lufthansa management and Verdi is scheduled for Wednesday.
