Lufthansa faces ongoing strikes by cabin crew and pilots

Lufthansa and its subsidiaries, including CityLine, Lufthansa Cargo, and Eurowings, are facing a series of labor strikes involving both pilots and cabin crew. The UFO union representing cabin crew announced a 48-hour strike beginning April 15, while the pilots' union, Vereinigung Cockpit, has also organized recent walkouts. These actions are part of ongoing negotiations regarding pay increases and working conditions, impacting roughly 19,000 cabin crew and 800 employees at CityLine. The strikes have resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays, primarily at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The union intentionally timed the protests to coincide with Lufthansa’s 100th-anniversary centenary ceremony, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to attend. Union chairman Joachim Vazquez Bürger criticized management for failing to reach an agreement, while Lufthansa HR chief Michael Niggemann labeled the strikes as harmful to the airline's future and characterized existing conditions as sufficient. Flights to the Middle East have been exempted from certain strikes due to the regional security situation.