Cabin crew at German airline Lufthansa have announced a 48‑hour strike, escalating a labor dispute that has already disrupted operations during the carrier’s 100th‑anniversary year.
The UFO cabin crew union said staff at Lufthansa and its regional subsidiary CityLine will walk off the job on April 15. The strike is expected to cause major disruptions, particularly on flights departing from Frankfurt and Munich, the airline’s main hubs. CityLine crews will also strike at nine airports across Germany.
The union said negotiations over working conditions and pay increases have stalled. Talks over a compensation package for CityLine’s roughly 800 employees — whose operations are being phased out — also failed to produce an agreement.
The strike coincides with Lufthansa’s official centenary ceremony, which is expected to be attended by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. UFO said it plans to hold a demonstration outside the airline’s headquarters during the event. The Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union has urged its members to support the protest.
UFO officials said around 19,000 cabin crew remain in uncertainty after two years of negotiations. Union chairman Joachim Vazquez Bürger accused management of celebrating while employees face deteriorating conditions.
Lufthansa HR chief Michael Niggemann criticized the strike, saying the union is disregarding passenger disruption and arguing that current working conditions are “excellent.” He warned that repeated strikes threaten the company’s future.
The dispute has already led to widespread cancellations. A one‑day cabin crew strike on April 10 became Lufthansa’s longest labor conflict in a decade. Pilots at Lufthansa and Eurowings have also staged walkouts over pension issues, grounding hundreds of flights.
More than 700 flights were canceled across Lufthansa, CityLine and Eurowings during the latest pilot strike, according to Vereinigung Cockpit. Frankfurt Airport reported 570 cancellations on Monday alone, affecting more than 50,000 passengers. Munich Airport saw about 720 cancellations over two days, most involving Lufthansa.
Thousands of flights were also canceled in February and March due to earlier strikes by both cabin crew and pilots.
