[LuganoPirate]

[quote quote=776904]The ability for workers to be able to undertake industrial action is the mark of a free, fair and democratic country and I am glad that the German employment courts have not restricted this right.
[/quote]

And it’s also the right for all fare paying passengers to take their business to the competition, and there’s plenty of it – Swiss, Qatar, Emirates, KLM to name a few. So flush with their salaries increased by 20% they will fly half empty planes and the route will be abandoned putting them out of work!

[AMcWhirter]

Lufthansa has been strike-free this week.

But the series have cost Lufthansa 100 million Euros in lost revenue.

They have also led to more passengers being carried by Austrian Airlines and Swiss as travellers defected from Lufthansa mainline.

In November Austrian’s passenger numbers increased by 10.9 per cent. At Swiss the passenger increase was lower but still a good result for the carrier.

From airportzentral.de German language.

Austrian Airlines und SWISS profitierten im November vom Lufthansa-Piloten-Streik

Lufthansa’s pilots union is currently considering the latest management offer.

http://www.thelocal.de/20161209/this-is-how-much-the-pilot-strike-cost-lufthansa

[LuganoPirate]

Interestingly the Swiss flights became slightly more expensive than Lufthansa’s in the last few weeks where it’s usually the other way round.

[JohnHarper]

Well given that they need to give 24 hours notice of strikes it looks like my goose is safe for tomorrow!

[AMcWhirter]

The good news is that there will be no further strikes in the near future.

Mediation talks with management are to take place and will not be completed until the end of January 2017.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-lufthansa-unions-pilots-idUKKBN1450WV

[LuganoPirate]

By way of apology I received a letter apologising for any inconvenience and 10,000 status miles – not that I needed them but a nice touch anyway.

[MarcusGB]

All these Strikes, taking a step back view, are really the battle of the Airlines encroaching on each others territory when we look back 5/10 years.

The Gulf Carriers, and further the Low Cost carriers, really have taken huge chunks out of Legacy Airlines, and it will never return. LH, AF/KLM, BA, VS, the largest and most major players in Europe caught up in this. It is a fundamental issue of adjustment, not just by the Employees, but the expectations of that Airline by its customers.

We get far less also, and every cent is cut back to the bare services now, and the nice elements such as decent toiletry bags, sleepwear, a decent drink or sandwich, (even any food on BA!).

The LCC cannot really be effective on Long Haul, yet for Europe, the Gulf Carriers have taken much business, unlike the US and south American carriers little effected by them. Those great days when every European Airline used to fly down to Australia, then one by one they pull out, more Alliance reliance for connections.

The Legacy carriers whether Government subsidised or not, need to break even, and cut back on non-profit making European routes and indeed all other activities. Maybe handing these routes over with an agreement with LCC would be better, or a low cost model and new aircraft such as KLM Cityhopper, or Air France Hop to feed their flights. Normal service in Europe now is few and far between.

if they consolidated medium and long haul only, they would do far better, but this hanging on to European flights when they bleed an Airline or routes taken by The Gulf Carriers, is pointless.

For crews i genuinely feel sorry for what was a terrific job years ago, now its reduced to a cafe service with some Health & Safety work thrown in. BA Paying less than the minimum wage to crews, is shocking.

All these striking carriers damage so much their own Airlines, and KLM/AF had the same. All profit for 2014 was wiped out through strikes. in the end, they hurt themselves. I agree staff have the right to strike, but the number of jobs in the industry on Legacy carriers, operating in their traditional way, is really far less. It is a sad reality, but they need to step back and fly the Long and Medium Haul routes only, and have a feeder partner for connections in Europe.
It is the only way to survive.

SAS are looking to cut huge amounts by employing more people from outside Scandinavia i read in The New York Times yesterday, just as The Gulf carriers and LCC do. The finery and glory has really gone out of travel unless you get a good long Haul carrier, not European or short haul flights now.

[AMcWhirter]

The Lufthansa pilots’ dispute is still not settled.

There could be further industrial action if the pilots’ union refuses to accept the deal proposed by a mediator next week.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-lufthansa-unions-idUSKBN15P1YC

[AMcWhirter]

Some good news. The pilots’ dispute has been partially settled.

Lufthansa announced today that it has, reports Reuters, “agreed to increase pay for 5,400 pilots by 8.7 per cent in several steps as well as one time payments worth a total of Euros 30 million – adding around Euros 85 million (£72.2 million) to its annual costs.”

Members of the pilots’ union will consider the proposals. A result is expected by the end of March.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-lufthansa-unions-idUKKBN15U1F6

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