Pilot strikes in Autumn / Fall 2014
 

I habe heard from a reliable source that negotiations between LH management and LH pilots are not going very well. There seems to be a high probability of short unannounced strikes by LH cockpit crews in September.

no good.

Rumors of possible Pilot strikes in September
 

I hope not, my LH F trip to JNB was canceled in April for the last round of strikes and I have an NYC-FRA-BKK vv in September. So far the three times I've tried to get on an a380 (three airlines and completely different trips) have all been canx for one reason or another. I'm starting to think someone wants me to stay away from the big bus
-dan

Wouldn't it be lovely if the German government outlawed strikes in all areas related to security, health and transport? Yes, one can dream!

YES! Lets put slavery and the monarchism back!

Last time I checked, slaves didn't have the option of quitting their job.

Correct - that's what strike is all about - quit your job for a few hours or days!:D

Do you have any idea when in September this should take place? I have two OSL-FRA-CGK tickets booked on September 15. It's the only LH booked for the rest of the year, so it would be nice if any strike would be either before or after that...

Depending on the magnitude of the strike, it can still affect you if it happens before. Always hope for it to be after your flights. ;)

Hmmm.. Sept 6th. First time in international F. Please... please wait until the 7th.

No, I don't know any dates. It is not even yet clear if a strike will happen but the tensions between the pilots and the management are rising.

Rumors of possible Pilot strikes in September
 

And there it is in the news...

http://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/lufthansa-109.html <- in German

http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unt...-a-987645.html Spiegel has an artiicle, too. Not good.

Well I just might miss this one. I got my flights next week.

Sooo... let's just say the unthinkable happens and I get to YUL and there is no LH plane to take me to MUC in F.
What are my options?

And I wonder if I should get insurance? Any suggestions?
Thanks

Hmmm. Any speculation firming up on dates for this?

No dates that I've seen. I lucked out and didn't have travel planned during the last strike, but getting a bit nervous this time - I'm scheduled to fly to CPH next weekend and GYD a week later, both on LH.

More coverage: http://www.dw.de/lufthansa-pilot-str...ent/a-17872984

How nice.... I had to reschedule my trip in April and will be flying again on Friday and the week after that. Let's see what they do this time.

Well This is great! I have a flight from IAD-FRA on the 1st and FRA-CAI on the 2nd. will Lufthansa rebook? lets say on UA? Also, do you think Lufthansa will resolve the issue before they go on strike?

I'm flying LH end of September, returning beginning of October. What are the odds they have this resolved by then?

There is a difference between an announcement and the pilots actually going on strike.... So no need to panic just yet.

OK..
When they do go on strike, and I do panic, what should I do about alternate transportation options?
YUL-MUC in F. First time ever!

This would be awful for me :(

They will rebook you.... Last time I was able to travel one day before my booking (the day of the strike). They will normally rebook you on an M&M airline like LX, but will also look at availability with other airlines.

The pilot union will give at least a few days notice, as they are required. But so far they are just making some noise.

Not that you should know this but yours is the first concrete info anyone has given me.

My routing is STL-ORD-YUL-MUC booked with United points.
STL-ORD is on UA
ORD-YUL is Air Canada
YUL-MUC is LH

Does this booking happen proactively or would I need to call? And who would rebook it? UA?
Thanks!

oh sweet fancy moses, I hope this gets resolved amicably. I'm moving to Berlin on 9/23. :-\
It was going to be my first ever long haul biz class miles flight IAH->FRA->TXL. And on the sweet new A380 as well. :(

Way to soon to tell.... there is a thread for the last strike here where you can read how they handled it last time.

But when, and if, the strike dates are announced and you are affected then being proactive and calling the ticketing airline is always best. And even better if you have done your homework on the alternatives you want. Being on an award does make a difference, I wouldn't really count on UA booking you in revenue availability.....

But again, there is no strike announced yet.

Maybe difficult to answer, but what would be the first possible day of the strike?
I am flying CGN-MUC-CTA (Catania) on 30-Aug and back on 06-Sep and i wonder if i could be impacted?

Thanks, Pascal

There is a certain degree of civil order and predictability associated with totalitarian regimes. Representative government and contract disputes are just so bureaucratic...for those of us who just want predictable service, indentured servitude has some benefits...:D:p

They don't want to be so predictable this time to maximize the chaos and associated pain for LH--just to show they are not kidding around...

I was also affected in April and I thought LH handled the situation quite well. This time LH might not have the luxury of advance planning.

From what I am hearing and reading, VC is not going to announce in advance this time. Fortunately, most of my routes in Sept have alternatives.

Wow. I am even contemplating an US Airways flight. Troubling times.

Typical options are re-booking, re-routing, or refund. If you have to be transported in a different class of service, then the resolution becomes more complex.

Insurance might be a good option. However, read the fine print carefully and see what happens and what remedies apply in case of job action or similar.

I doubt that very much..... the courts have granted them the right to strike, but only if they make an announcement a few days in advance. And the few news items I have seen from The Vereinigung Cockpit mentioned an advance warning.

Die Vereinigung Cockpit hat weitere Arbeitskampfmaßnahmen beschlossen, mit denen ab sofort gerechnet werden muss. Die genauen Termine werden der Öffentlichkeit jeweils vorab bekannt gegeben.

I stick to what I said last time, some of the LH staff has not understood that the world around them are changing. It reminds me a bit of Swissair in the old days before the crash. Today LX staff is very much more sensitive to this.

I am glad you are writing "some staff", as I have plenty of Lufthansa employess amongst my friends and they are sensitive about the changing world and understand that Lufti cannot just continue as in the past.

But a small, yet powerful group, decided to create a reality of their own...

The versions going to press now seem to be going out of their way to reassure people there will be warning, but I am not so sure there will be much notice. I am assuming the original press release was quite short as just about every news outlet is using the same (or nearly the same) quotes. From what I see in the press and am hearing on in the rumor mill, VC really aren't planning on giving any more notice than they have to. They seem to emphasize saving hassle from passengers, perhaps not because they give a rat's behind about what happens to the passengers, but rather because they already have little public sympathy and know they will garner even less after a job action.

For example this excerpt from the FAZ sounds very similar to what is being reported even in that bastion of journalistic style, The Bild:

"Die drohenden Streiks der Lufthansa-Piloten könnten nach Angaben der Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) kurzfristiger angekündigt werden als bei der massiven Streikwelle im April. „Damals haben wir den Streik 72 Stunden vorab angekündigt“, sagte Cockpit-Vorstandsmitglied Markus Wahl am Samstag. „Jetzt ist es auch denkbar, dass wir diese Vorlauffrist ein wenig kürzer halten.“

Zwar müsse „ab sofort“ mit Streiks gerechnet werden, sagte Wahl. Doch würden Ausstände rechtzeitig angekündigt. „Es wird kein Passagier erst am Flughafen erfahren, dass sein Flug nicht stattfindet. Er wird ausreichend Zeit haben, auf anderem Weg an sein Ziel zu kommen.“ „Wir bedauern die Unannehmlichkeiten für die Kunden der Lufthansa“, erklärte Cockpit. Das Lufthansa-Management könne „mit den entsprechenden Signalen“ an die VC den Streik aber „jederzeit noch abwenden“."

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaf...-13112390.html

Sounds like we will find out soon enough. I have three trips booked on LH in Sept (fortunately only one long-haul, and none lacking good alternatives on non-LH Group carriers), so I guess unless the work action is short, I fear I will be affected...again.

Not sure who is dumber here, the pilots who should see the direction things are going and be willing to help figure out a win-win solution, or LH management, who should realize clipping a little bit of personnel cost is not going to save them anyway.

I fully agree - some.

I am thinking it will be first on the weekend of September 6th:
- it is 14 days after the announcement which would be in line with the "Friedenspflicht" that requires 14 days notice that a strike may occur
- a weekend makes more sense fore many reasons as to not to impact business-travel too much and rather impact leisure travel.

Oh I hope you are wrong... That's the day I fly!!

I just hope there is some warning so I have a chance to rebook F on someone else.
Thanks

should we be more worried about the Volcano or the pilot strike.... Just want to fly on the 1st and come back on the 29th with no problems!!

Does "Friedenspflicht" apply here? I thought not, as the strike vote was already in February? Not familiar with the respective laws though...

Still - but be happy if you were right with your guess as my critical flights will be done by then...