The security staff at many of the German airports has been on strike intermittently for the past few weeks, and this time it is Berlin Brandenburg’s turn on April 24, 2023.
Lufthansa has informed that it will operate all flights TO Berlin, but it appears that all departing flights, including those of Lufthansa, have been canceled (Lufthansa likely flies planes out without passengers).
The airlines are required per EC261/2004 to rebook the affected passengers at their earlier convenience (passengers’, not the airlines’), or passengers can also opt for a refund if they so wish, even on noncancelable and nonrefundable tickets.
Passengers are also eligible for Duty to Care, which means accommodation (hotel) and/or meals in case of long delays.
Lufthansa’s Announcement:
On 24. April, the German trade union ver.di has called for a strike of the airport security staff in Berlin. Cancellations and delays in the Lufthansa Group flight schedule from Berlin are expected. Flights to Berlin are to be operated as scheduled.
In the event of a cancellation, Lufthansa will rebook you on another flight free of charge and usually automatically and inform you via your mobile phone number. If you do not receive a message from Lufthansa, please check the current status of your booking. Here you can also adjust the rebooking if required. Alternatively, you can also use the Lufthansa Chat Assistant.
As there are no flights from Berlin on Monday, we recommend substitute transport by Deutsche Bahn.
If you booked your flight through a tour operator or travel agency, you may also contact the tour operator / travel agency where the booking was made.
In the event of a cancellation of a domestic Lufthansa flight (or a Lufthansa flight between Germany and Basel or Salzburg) within two days before departure, you can exchange your flight ticket into a ticket with Deutsche Bahn free of charge. We recommend that you make a reservation for this on the Deutsche Bahn website. Please note that the ticket is only valid on Deutsche Bahn trains on the day of issue and the following day.
If you have a connecting flight from Frankfurt or Munich, we recommend that you allow sufficient time for changing from train to flight when planning your rail journey to the airports.
If you are rebooked onto the following day, please check our information about hotel accommodation.
Hotline
In case you are not able to use the mentioned self-service options, please contact our Service Center at +49 (0) 69-86-799-799*, or one of our local Lufthansa phone numbers.
We ask for your understanding that there may be longer waiting times due to the increased volume of calls.
* Calls from landlines are charged at local rates, prices from the mobile networks depend on the provider and may vary.
You can find more information and tips in case of irregularities at short notice on our special page.
Conclusion
They really should find a solution for the security staff strikes in Germany, although there is quite a gap between what the trade union demands and what the other party is willing to accept.
I am scheduled to fly through Frankfurt Airport in less than two weeks and need to closely monitor the situation, as should you, who have flights to/from/through Germany, until this issue has been resolved.