Lufthansa strike grounds over 1,000 flights, the latest airline to leave travelers stranded
Deutsche Lufthansa AG staff staged a one-day walkout on Wednesday that caused most flights out of Frankfurt and Munich to be canceled. The strikes also grounded some international flights.
The German trade union ver.di organized the strike to improve wages for ground staff and aircraft technicians impacted by rising inflation and ongoing aviation staff shortages. The union demanded a 9.5% wage increase for 20,000 workers.
In June, ver.di chairwoman Christine Behle explained that the German airline was at risk of losing staff, stating that "after three years of wage sacrifice, employees have been hit particularly hard by the high inflation rate."
Trade union warns of future strikes
Negotiations between ver.di and Lufthansa began at the end of June, and since then, the airline said it agreed to a 5.9%-14.8% increase for workers.
After meeting for two rounds of negotiations, Lufthansa's head of media relations, Martin Leutke, stated that the strike was "completely unnecessary" and "completely exaggerated."
A spokesperson for the trade union explained, "Lufthansa did not make an adequate offer in the first two rounds" and that employees need to demand more in the third round of negotiations.
Navigating a tight labor market
Airlines have struggled to keep up with the demanding post-lockdown summer travel season and industry-wide worker shortages. Lufthansa stated that it would attempt to rebook flights for passengers, but resources are limited.
Because Lufthansa is short on airport staff, the company recommends that those impacted by the cancellations call to rebook.
Chief officer of human resources and infrastructure at Lufthansa, Dr. Michael Niggemann, stated, "It affects our passengers in particular, who are impacted during the peak travel season. And it is putting an additional heavy strain on our employees in an already difficult phase for air traffic."
The airline anticipates another 646 flights will be canceled Wednesday out of Frankfurt and 330 out of Munich. Cancellations are expected to continue through Friday.
Lufthansa is the latest airline affected by a wave of staff strikes. Just last week, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) came to an agreement with the pilot unions, ending a 15-day walkout that impacted over 350,000 passengers.
Worldwide flight cancellations have become an ongoing issue for those looking to travel. Airlines blame a combination of factors, including the surge in post-lockdown travel, staff shortages, and inclement weather.
Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Lindsey Graham hoped to alleviate the staff shortage crisis by introducing a bill that would increase the mandatory retirement age of pilots from 65 to 67. The Monday press release warned that "nearly 14,000 qualified U.S. pilots will be forced to retire over the next five years."
\u201c"Americans are now experiencing flight delays and cancellations on an unacceptable scale due to a worsening pilot shortage."\n\nRep Roy's new bill with @LindseyGrahamSC would alleviate the crisis by raising the mandatory pilot retirement age:\n\nhttps://t.co/xCyKnsDN0b\u201d— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@Rep. Chip Roy Press Office) 1658772279
U.S. senators are calling for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation to take action and protect passengers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders stated in a June press release that prices for tickets rose 38% while airlines experienced a 50% increase in delays and an 18% increase in cancellations.
\u201cThe airline industry got $50 billion in taxpayer money in its time of need. What did Americans get in return? Disruptions, delays, and cancellations.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1656694910
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Alex Padilla wrote to the DOT that they have "the authority to take meaningful actions to hold airlines accountable for avoidable delays and cancellations."
The two senators accused the airlines of being ungrateful for the billions in taxpayer bailout assistance provided to them during COVID lockdowns. They stated that "major airlines have reciprocated by dramatically increasing ticket prices and reaching new lows in their treatment of travelers."
Until a solution is found, passengers will continue to pay the consequences of significant worldwide flight delays and cancellations.
Report: Over 100 'visibly Jewish' travelers barred from boarding plane in Germany after a few Jewish passengers on previous flight refused to wear masks
According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, more than 100 "visibly Jewish" travelers were barred from boarding a Lufthansa plane in Germany after a small number of Jewish passengers on a previous flight refused to wear masks.
Lufthansa confirmed that travelers weren't allowed to board a Wednesday flight from Frankfurt to Budapest for not wearing masks but didn't say those who appeared Jewish were specifically targeted.
What are the details?
A Lufthansa spokesperson told the Jewish Chronicle that on an earlier flight from New York City to Frankfurt, "some of the passengers with the planned onward journey to Budapest had repeatedly refused — even after repeated requests from the crew — to wear masks and to follow the safety regulations during the flight."
The outlet said at least 127 Jewish people apparently were prevented from boarding the connecting flight to Budapest. Lufthansa said "the flight to Budapest took off with a slight delay [with] just under 30 passengers on board," the outlet added.
"It is claimed by passengers that Lufthansa employees at Frankfurt Airport took action to bar all passengers who appeared visibly Jewish from boarding the connecting flight," the Jewish Chronicle wrote.
The group was headed to Budapest on an annual pilgrimage to commemorate a Hasidic rabbi, the outlet added.
'Jewish people ... were the mess ... made the problems'
A now-viral video shows a Lufthansa staffer explaining to a traveler why Jewish passengers were barred from the connecting flight, the outlet said.
The traveler calls the action "anti-Semitism" and "gruesome," after which the employee appears to say that "everybody has to pay" the penalty "for a couple" of violators.
“What do you mean everybody? Everybody from that race?" the traveler replies. "No, everybody else on the flight went ... the non-Jewish people on the flight went, so why are only the Jewish people paying for other people’s crimes?”
The staff member answered that it was because of "Jewish [people] coming from JFK [airport].”
“Oh, so Jewish people coming from JFK are paying for the crimes of a few people?” the traveler asks.
Soon the employee says sharply that "it was ... Jewish people who were the mess, who made the problems.”
The traveler replies, “So, Jewish people on the plane made a problem, so all Jews are banned from Lufthansa for the day?”
The airline employee answers, “Just for this flight.”
Rep from @lufthansa : \u201cIt was Jewish people who made the mess, Jewish people made the problem.\u201d\n\nJewish customer: \u201cJewish people on the plane made a problem so all Jewish people are banned for the day?\u201d\n\nRep: \u201cJust from this flight.\u201d\n\nVid from @DansDeals https://youtu.be/QtiWafk6dpI\u00a0 https://twitter.com/ojpac/status/1523330399010701315\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/rULKGROIxY— The Meturgeman (@The Meturgeman) 1652026343
One individual tweeted that "I was on the flight and wore a mask the whole time like most ppl. You banned me and my daughter from all flights for the day cuz I am a Jew & u were upset at a few Jews. Shameful to categorize ppl based on religion and race. I thought we were past that."
What else did Lufthansa say?
"We apologize to all guests for the inconvenience this has caused, including those who were unable to travel on this particular flight," Lufthansa also told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that the airline "is currently investigating the events of May 4th in order to clarify the exact processes and background of the incident.”
Here's another clip apparently recorded at the gate in Frankfurt:
@lufthansa very nasty behavior, you guys take a whole group and categorize them as anti maskers. #antisemitisme you guys need to apologize in a public statementpic.twitter.com/4uC0ayesUM— Shloimy Rosenfeld (@Shloimy Rosenfeld) 1651682435
The above video also shows police at the gate, and the Jewish Chronicle said a spokesman for the federal police at Frankfurt Airport indicated that “Lufthansa called us and said that some of this group from JFK were not following the rules — putting on seat belts, wearing masks, etc. They said they had decided not to take them any further when they arrived in Frankfurt, and so ... they called us simply as a security measure.”
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