The security staff strikes continue this week at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn & Hamburg airports on Thursday and Friday (April 20 – 21, 2023).
Hamburg airport has already announced that there won’t be flights on these two strike days, and most flights at the other two are likely canceled too.
You can access Lufthansa’s page for strike information here.
Note that this strike affects all airlines operating from these three airports. UPDATE: There are 700 flight cancellations at the affected airports on Thursday.
The airlines must rebook affected passengers at the earliest opportunity and provide Duty to Care in case of long delays and cancellations (accommodation and meals) per EC 261/2004.
Lufthansa’s Announcement:
In the period 20 – 21 April, the German trade union ver.di has called for a strike of the airport security staff in Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Hamburg. Cancellations and delays in the Lufthansa Group flight schedule to and from these airports are expected, these will be announced in the course of Wednesday.
In the event of a cancellation, Lufthansa will rebook you free of charge and usually automatically to another flight 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 Chatbot.
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.
Please note that unions of the Deutsche Bahn are planning a strike on Friday, 21 April in the morning hours. Substitute transport will not be possible during this time. Likewise, an increased volume of passengers is expected in the period before and after the rail strike.
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.
Conclusion
There has been strike activity in Germany this spring among security employees that have significantly affected flight operations from various airports, sometimes grounding most flights.