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Lufthansa - upcoming strikes? [Meta discussion of strikes]

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Old Jan 31, 2024, 3:49 pm
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Lufthansa - upcoming strikes? [Meta discussion of strikes]

Good evening,
Do you think there are upcoming strikes involving Lufthansa Group/German airports in March?
I've a flight booked via Frankfurt for the middle of March and I'm quite concerned about it.
Many thanks
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Old Jan 31, 2024, 3:51 pm
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I'm flying via Frankfurt (with LH) in March. Do you think there will be other strikes during that period?
If there are cancellations, is it necessary to accept the rebooking or is it possible to request a refund if the cancellation is due to strike?
Thank you.
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Old Jan 31, 2024, 10:39 pm
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Originally Posted by stegio80
Good evening,
Do you think there are upcoming strikes involving Lufthansa Group/German airports in March?
I've a flight booked via Frankfurt for the middle of March and I'm quite concerned about it.
Many thanks
Logically, if the Unions do not get what they want from this round of strikes, they will continue….
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 1:38 am
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Notification of strikes

Flying in 14 days EDI-FRA-EZE so getting a little nervous about the situation. Do unions in Germany have to give 14 days notice of strike action as they do in the UK? I would then be able to breathe a little easier tomorrow if they do.

As FRA would be the main problem what are the likely rebooking scenarios- for example although it’s far less convenient could I ask for a BA rebooking or am I restricted to Star Alliance or what?
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 1:42 am
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Not too long ago, i had LH/LX rebooked to BA, even 1x managed to rebooked to VS. And BA did the other way too .. rebooked to LX for example … but that was not due to strike, .. it was either cancellation, or missed connection due to delays.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 6:12 am
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Originally Posted by stegio80
I'm flying via Frankfurt (with LH) in March. Do you think there will be other strikes during that period?
If there are cancellations, is it necessary to accept the rebooking or is it possible to request a refund if the cancellation is due to strike?
Thank you.
Under EU261/2004 you are able to request a refund when cancellation is for any reason. Only compensation is limited.

If your itinerary goes through FRA but from outside the Community to outside the Comminuty, i.e. USA-Frankfurt-India, then you are not protected by EU261/2004, but I can't imagine LH will not refund you (however compensation is out of the question even if cancelled for a compensable reason)
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 6:14 am
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Originally Posted by Fabo.sk
Under EU261/2004 you are able to request a refund when cancellation is for any reason. Only compensation is limited.

If your itinerary goes through FRA but from outside the Community to outside the Comminuty, i.e. USA-Frankfurt-India, then you are not protected by EU261/2004, but I can't imagine LH will not refund you (however compensation is out of the question even if cancelled for a compensable reason)
No, what you are saying isn't fully correct.
EU law is always applicable if the carrier is a EU carries so refund needs to be given. If the airlines isn't a EU airline, EU passenger protection law isn't applicable if the flight arrives from a non EU destination. As to the compensation, I think strike is under extraordinary circumstances?
However, if it's a wildcat strike, caselaw says that compensation is due.
As to the person above who is flying in two weeks, it's unlikely any strike will take place. The notice that must be given is a week. Negotiations are resuming on the 6th of Feb.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 6:29 am
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Originally Posted by stegio80
No, what you are saying isn't fully correct.
EU law is always applicable if the carrier is a EU carries so refund needs to be given. If the airlines isn't a EU airline, EU passenger protection law isn't applicable if the flight arrives from a non EU destination.
But, you say you travel with LH. And LH is a Community carrier, so flights inbound to EU count.

Originally Posted by stegio80
As to the compensation, I think strike is under extraordinary circumstances?
Depends on who is striking. Security union strike is outside of airline control and therefore exempt from compensation.

Originally Posted by stegio80
However, if it's a wildcat strike, caselaw says that compensation is due.
Only if it's airline staff or airline subsidiary staff who's striking. The case you refer to was to decide whether a wildcat strike within the airline was still considered within resonable control of the airline. The judgement was that yes, it was.
However this is not applicable because it's not airline staff striking.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 6:33 am
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Originally Posted by Fabo.sk
But, you say you travel with LH. And LH is a Community carrier, so flights inbound to EU count.



Depends on who is striking. Security union strike is outside of airline control and therefore exempt from compensation.



Only if it's airline staff or airline subsidiary staff who's striking. The case you refer to was to decide whether a wildcat strike within the airline was still considered within resonable control of the airline. The judgement was that yes, it was.
However this is not applicable because it's not airline staff striking.
No, when it's a community carrier, it doesn't matter if it's inbound or outbound flights. Passenger protection is always applicable.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 7:05 am
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Originally Posted by stegio80
No, when it's a community carrier, it doesn't matter if it's inbound or outbound flights. Passenger protection is always applicable.
Not when you fly a community carrier non-EU origin -> transfer in EU -> non EU destination (RMO-VIE-BKK, for example), jurisprudence says EU261 does not apply, even on a community carrier.

Originally Posted by ECJ
In the light of all the foregoing considerations, the answer to the first question is that Article 3(1) of Regulation No 261/2004 must be interpreted as meaning that that regulation is not applicable to a flight with a connecting flight, booked under a single booking but consisting of two flights, both of which are operated by a Community air carrier, if both the departure airport of the first flight and the arrival airport of the second flight are in the territory of a third country and only the airport where the stopover takes place is in the territory of a Member State.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 7:16 am
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Originally Posted by stegio80
No, when it's a community carrier, it doesn't matter if it's inbound or outbound flights. Passenger protection is always applicable.
I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with now.

If you have a non-Community carrier, you have to be departing from the Community (EU+some others). This is not the case as LH is a community carrier.
If you have a Community carrier, including LH, you have to be departing from the Community or arriving into Community. For example, YYZ-FRA-CDG is covered if with LH.
If YYZ-FRA were with AC, this leg is not covered, only FRA-CDG (LH) is.

But even if you have a Community carrier like LH, you are not covered if you depart and arrive outside Community and only transfer in FRA. For example YYZ-FRA-SIN is not covered regardless if you flew LH all the way, or say AC+SQ.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 7:46 am
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Originally Posted by Fabo.sk
I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with now.

If you have a non-Community carrier, you have to be departing from the Community (EU+some others). This is not the case as LH is a community carrier.
If you have a Community carrier, including LH, you have to be departing from the Community or arriving into Community. For example, YYZ-FRA-CDG is covered if with LH.
If YYZ-FRA were with AC, this leg is not covered, only FRA-CDG (LH) is.

But even if you have a Community carrier like LH, you are not covered if you depart and arrive outside Community and only transfer in FRA. For example YYZ-FRA-SIN is not covered regardless if you flew LH all the way, or say AC+SQ.
​​​​​​I was reading various forums and there are people that back in 2021/2022 received compensation from LH for cancellations of flight from a non EU airport via Frankfurt to the US.
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 8:00 am
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Was it a CEFTA country, Georgia or Turkey?
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Old Feb 1, 2024, 8:05 am
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Originally Posted by hugolover
Was it a CEFTA country, Georgia or Turkey?
The authors don't specify it. However, I believe that according to the caselaw EU261 doesn't cover non EU to non EU flights via a EU member state even with a community carrier.
What the regulation covers is flights from the EU with a layover in a third country even if operated by a non EU carrier.
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Old Mar 6, 2024, 7:32 am
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And another strike on the horizon:

https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...ys-2024-03-06/
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