Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, causing significant disruptions for air travelers.
The industrial action, led by the trade union Verdi, began unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport before expanding to a nationwide strike. Passengers at major airports such as Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin have been advised not to travel to the airports, as operations are severely disrupted. Frankfurt, which is Germany's busiest airport, announced that passengers would be unable to board flights, and transfers would "almost certainly" be affected.
According to German media reports, thousands of flights could be cancelled throughout the day, impacting over 500,000 travelers. The Lufthansa group, which has its main hub in Frankfurt, confirmed "delays and extensive cancellations" across all its airlines. Additionally, Munich Airport warned of a "greatly reduced flight schedule" that includes flights operated by Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, and Swiss Air.
Katja Bromm, a spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, criticized Verdi for calling a strike without notice at the start of the holiday season, stating that all 143 departures scheduled for Monday had already been cancelled. She described the walkouts as "excessive and unfair" to tens of thousands of travelers unrelated to the disputes.
A spokesman for Verdi acknowledged the strike's impact on many passengers but emphasized that the travel disruption was necessary to secure a better pay offer. Lars Stubbe, the union's representative in Hamburg, pointed out that workers understand these disruptions are inconvenient, but he argued that the employers are to blame for failing to provide a negotiable offer.
Many of Frankfurt Airport's 1,770 scheduled flights have already been cancelled, and most of Munich's 820 flights are expected to face cancellations as well. Additionally, other airports in Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Berlin are also anticipating hundreds more cancellations. Travelers reported difficulties reclaiming their checked luggage, and Hanover Airport has come to a standstill due to the strike.
Verdi's demands include an 8% pay increase or at least €350 more per month for all workers, along with three additional days of holiday and one more day for union members. Stubbe noted that while airport wages typically range from above minimum wage (€13-€25 or £11-£21 per hour), workers in different roles, especially security staff, receive less annual leave than others.
"There have been two rounds of negotiations in which the employers have not yet made any offers," he stated. "It is normal that we don't receive offers in the first round, but even in the second round, the employers have effectively said, 'No, we're not going to give you an offer because we don't have any money.'"
This "warning strike," a common tactic in German wage negotiations, pertains to two separate pay disputes: one regarding airport security workers and a broader disagreement over wages for federal and municipal government employees.
Verdi has also initiated strikes in waste collection across several German cities, including Berlin, Essen, and Kiel, where bins have remained unemptied since last week. Pay talks for government workers are set to resume on Friday in Potsdam, while the next round of discussions for airport security staff is scheduled to begin on March 26.
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