Manchester Airport flight cancellations: Lufthansa…

Manchester Airport flight cancellations: Lufthansa cancels flights as ground staff stage one-day walkout

Lufthansa flights to and from Manchester Aiport have been cancelled as ground staff vote to walk out on strike tomorrow (July 27th). The German trade union Verdi called the "warning strike" in a row with the airline over wages.

Verdi said that it was calling the strike “to increase the pressure on employers to submit a significantly improved, final offer in the next round of negotiations”. While Lufthansa called the action “unreasonable for customers and employees”.

German airports including Frankfurt, Munich, Duesseldorf and Berlin will be affected. It means that all flights departing Manchester for Frankfurt and Munich have been cancelled, as have any and all arriving flights.

Passengers who were booked onto the cancelled flights have been advised that Lufthansa will automatically rebook you on another flight free of charge and inform you via phone or by e-mail. However, at the moment it takes longer to find an adequate rebooking solution during the peak travel season.

If you are given an alternative flight on the next day, in certain cases you are entitled to a voucher for an overnight hotel stay. Lufthansa will try to reserve a hotel near the airport for you.

If you prefer to look for a hotel yourself in these situations, this is possible if you pay at the hotel yourself. You can then submit the costs to Lufthansa afterwards, so keep all invoices and receipts.

Workers with key jobs, such as aircraft maintenance and moving aircraft away from boarding gates, have been called to strike. Lufthansa said the walkout was "incomprehensible" and would be a burden on both passengers and staff beyond the end of the walkout.

Strikes and staff shortages across Europe have already forced airlines including Lufthansa to cancel thousands of flights and caused hours-long queues at major airports, frustrating travellers keen to travel after lockdown. It comes as the dispute over wages continues after previous meetings failed to secure the desired result.

Verdi demanded a 9.5% pay rise, or at least 350 euros (£296) more per month for 12 months, for around 20,000 workers who it says are being squeezed by inflation and have been overworked due to staffing shortages. In response, Lufthansa offered an increase of 150 euros per month for the rest of this year and another 100 euros more from the start of 2023, plus a 2% increase from mid-2023 dependent on the company's financial results.

Verdi rejected the offer, saying it was insufficient to offset soaring inflation, which hit 8.2% in Germany in June. The walkout is being called a warning ahead of more negotiations, which are scheduled for August 3rd and 4th.

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