Lufthansa German Airlines will see another disruption this week. This time its cabin crew union has voted for a strike which will see most flights from Frankfurt cancelled on March 12 and most flights from Munich being cancelled on March 13. Lufthansa and cityline will be impacted by the strike. The airline has a very limited long haul network beyond its two large hubs.
This comes within days of the previous strike which was for 27 hours and by the ground staff. As per estimates, around 100,000 passengers will be impacted by this strike. The strike will also impact its flights to India.
Strike, strike, strike
The Lufthansa flight attendants Voted in favour of going on strike since a deal could not be reached for revision of pay and a one-time inflation compensation as per news reports. The airline nearly doubled its profit in 2023, compared to 2022 with the year closing at EUR 1.67 billion.
Before the flight attendants, the ground staff had been on three strikes since early February, which have impacted operations at Frankfurt, the main hub of Lufthansa. For the domestic routes, the airline had offered to convert the Flight tickets to rail tickets but on one occasion, the Lufthansa Strike coincided with that of the railway union in Germany. The situation will be the same on March 12, when the German rail will be on shut due to the train drivers union being on strike.
The current strike impacts all flights departing Frankfurt on Tue, March 12, 2024 from 0400 hours until 2300 hours local time and all flights departing Munich on Wed, Mar 13, 2024 from 0400 hours to 2300 hours local time.
What happens to the passengers?
Considering how strikes have become common for Lufthansa these days, one would have expected the airline to handle impacted passengers seamlessly. However, that has not been the case. Social media has been full of challenges faced by Lufthansa passengers on rebooking their itinerary with the airline being reluctant to offer other airlines as an option. The airline website currently asks passengers to await information via email or know the details on the mobile app.
Which flights from India are impacted?
Lufthansa operates from Frankfurt And Munich to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and to Chennai and Hyderabad from Frankfurt. The following flights stand cancelled
Delhi
- LH760 Frankfurt – Delhi on Tue, March 12, 2024
- LH761 Delhi – Frankfurt on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH762 Munich – Delhi on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH763 Delhi – Munich on Thu, March 14,2024
Mumbai
- LH756 Frankfurt – Mumbai on Tue, March 12, 2024
- LH757 Mumbai – Frankfurt on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH766 Munich – Mumbai on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH767 Mumbai – Munich on Thu, March 14,2024
Bengaluru
- LH754 Frankfurt – Bengaluru on Tue, March 12, 2024
- LH755 Bengaluru – Frankfurt on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH764 Munich – Bengaluru on Wed, March 13, 2024
- LH765 Bengaluru – Munich on Thu, March 14,2024
Chennai
- LH758 Frankfurt – Chennai on Tue, March 12, 2024
- LH759 Chennai – Frankfurt on Wed, March 13, 2024
Hyderabad
- LH752 Frankfurt – Hyderabad on Tue, March 12, 2024
- LH753 Hyderabad – Frankfurt on Wed, March 13, 2024
Network Thoughts
Airline is a business where fortunes swing rapidly. While Lufthansa may have announced record profits, repeated strikes will have an impact over a longer term and this could mean passengers opting for other carriers, which will have an impact on revenue and profitability for the carrier. The only other carrier from the Lufthansa group which serves India is Swiss – which will not be impacted by the strike. Austrian and Brussels Airlines operated to India in the past but have pulled out.
A resurgent Air India and the capacity by middle eastern carriers would mean that passengers will be shy of booking Lufthansa. For a pure Origin – Destination traffic to Frankfurt, both Air India and Vistara fly directly from India offering multiple connections via Delhi, the beyond traffic could well walk to the competition.
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