The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO), which represents close to two thirds of Lufthansa’s cabin crew, has called on its members to strike a second time tomorrow, meaning potential disruption of the airline’s flights.
The union will not publish details about the extent of the strike, the duration or number of airports affected, until a short time before it takes place. However, a UFO spokesperson has told the German news agency DPA that it will be more widespread and last longer than the strike held Frankfurt airport at the end of last week.
A spokesperson for Lufthansa said Monday morning that at present time the airline expected all its flights to and from Asia to operate normally. He said that Asian flights had not been disrupted by the first strike which took place on Friday, August 31.
The spokesperson added that whenever possible Lufthansa passengers, who had registered their contact details in their customer profile, would be informed via SMS or email about any delays or cancellations. Up-to-date information about flights would also be available on the airline’s website, he said, and passengers could request automatic flight status push notifications via email or Twitter.
On Friday, Lufthansa cabin crew staff held a day of strike action at Frankfurt airport forcing the airline to cancel around 200 short-haul flights, along with a small number of long haul flights to destinations including New York, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle.
“Lufthansa regrets that the current dispute is being settled at the expense of our customers,” the spokesperson said.
The union is seeking a 5 per cent pay rise backdated to January this year. At present, Lufthansa has made an offer that includes a 3.5 per cent pay increase.
Nicholas Olczak
