Planned industrial action means that Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) airports will be closed to commercial travel on Friday. This will further compound flight delays and cancellations after yesterday’s IT meltdown at Lufthansa.
Major German Airports Will Shut Down To Commercial Traffic On Friday, February 17, 2023 Due To Labor Strike
Yesterday, Lufthansa unexpectedly cancelled or diverted more than 200 flights due to an IT outage that severely disrupted flight operations. Demonstrating the vulnerability of the system, the outage was inadvertently caused by engineers while working on a railway line extension. During that construction, a drill cut through a a Deutsche Telekom fiber optic cable bundle 16 feet below ground, which crippled vital technology at Frankfurt Airport.
Lufthansa says operations are back to normal today, but Friday will be an even worse day due to planned industrial action by the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (Ver.di) trade union, which represents over 20,000 Lufthansa ground staff employees,. The so-called “warning strike” will run 25 hours, ending at 1:00 am on Saturday, February 18.
As a result of the strike, Frankfurt and Munich (as well as Stuttgart) airports will shut down, except for military or emergency flights (and private jets of attendees of the Munich Security Conference). No commercial traffic will go in and out. Lufthansa Group carriers and partners like United Airlines are already moving to cancel flights, including outbound flights to Germany today and return flights on Friday.
A United Airlines internal memo seen by Live and Let’s Fly explains:
Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) airports will not be operating commercial flights due to a planned all-day strike on February 17 (local time).
United flights scheduled to arrive in or depart from FRA or MUC between February 17, 12:00 a.m. and February 18, 01:00 a.m. local time will be canceled.
Very important: if your travel plans are impacted by this strike, reach out to your airline now in order to rebooked. Alternate flights are filling up fast. Ideally, research options while on hold and then propose them while speaking to an agent.
CONCLUSION
A planned labor strike in Germany on Friday will lead to the planned closure of Frankfurt and Munich airports. Airlines are already proactively canceling flights, so even if the strike is averted at the last minute, chances are your flight will still be cancelled.
This is lufthansa operating out of terminal 1 at FRA arguably the most disgusting and confusing in the world.
Too cheap to renew its fleet is operating a340 and 747 aircraft
This meltdown is just feces smeared on the dead dog
How can the German authorities really want me to spend my tourist dollars there if flights are at risk of cancellation?
I love how Europe operates. If you want to strike you just go out and strike. No cooling off period, no government permission needed and no way for the president of the country to declare an emergency and force the striking workers back to work. And on top of that everyone gets 5 weeks of paid vacation.
Maybe we the US should join the EU.
Mayor Pete strikes again. Jeez, when are sleepy joes diversity hires going to get off there lazy buts and do something. I tell you hwhat… transportation sure has gone down the tubes
I don’t see the connection. Do you mean Secretary Buttigieg and President Biden should force German airline workers to not strike?
Darn tootin! They are so bad they turn the Germans into commees that dont wanna work.
I can’t wait to watch tucker tonight.. I just no he’s gonna connect this to hunters laptop somehow
I’m leaving FRA on Saturday. I should be fine right? Airport might just be busy?
Classic Germans- fake efficiency and efficacy supplanted by socialist dogma
Call before you dig!
There is no excuse for unions disrupting travel and turning it into chaos. Workers are already paid decent wages. The only fair thing is if all union members who participate are identified and when they have once a year international travel holiday flights or cruises their tickets are cancelled one day before and they have to scramble last minute which may not be possible.
All big airlines should invest in training centers to churn out flight attendants and ground workers. Unions wouldn’t be able to disrupt things if they can be more easily replaced.
Private jets for the Munich Security Conference are fine? Sounds like this shut down is about more than just a strike. Perhaps they don’t want us “regular” folks hanging around the elites.
Exactly. They were awful to the citizen journalists that made it close to Davos.
What is the reason for this strike?? The French workers upset about having to work more till governmentpension- retirement!!
Wait…is this the same airline that wants to acquire ITA (aka Alitalia)…..wait till the Italians stick it to them.
Lufthansa will be s**ting in their lederhosen.