No Way out! Panic as flights to Germany are cancelled

Transport Crisis in Germany as Flights are Grounded

Germany was brought to a standstill as airline giant Lufthansa had all their flights grounded on Monday, March 27th, 2023, due to strike action at multiple German airports as part of a mass walkout by transport workers. The 24-hour action stopped flight operations at airports.

In a statement released on their Twitter page, Lufthansa announced, “The trade union Verdi has called for a one-day strike at several German airports. Please note that this massively affects the Frankfurt Airport on Monday, March 27th and the Munich Airport on Sunday, March 26th and Monday, March 27th.”

The statement continued, “As this coincides with a public transport strike in Germany on Monday, March 27th, we will not be able to offer all passengers short-term solutions and advise against travelling to the airports during the affected times. You may not be able to leave the airport again during this time. We regret the inconvenience caused to all affected passengers and ask you to please inform yourself constantly.”

Lufthansa, one of Europe’s biggest airlines has flights from the carrier’s main hubs at Frankfurt and Munich were among those affected. This caused confusion and disarray to hundreds of thousands of passengers.

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Germany’s airport association reportedly said about 380,000 air travelers might have been affected by the strike but added that it was beyond any imaginable and justifiable measure. Additionally, 2,340 flights were cancelled at affected airlines, which caused a major paralysis in the transport centre of Frankfurt, according to Germany’s airport association ADV.

“Unfortunately, it will not be possible to offer you any short-term rebooking solutions at the airport desks. Due to the regular passenger traffic on weekends, the airport halls are already heavily frequented. If you have planned a domestic flight, we ask you to travel by train in the coming days.”

Lufthansa described rebooking alternatives as being very limited and wasn’t possible for all passengers to find a timely alternative. The situation was compounded by a breakdown at the airline’s IT service provider. This made the check-in procedure limited to the Lufthansa app only.

Transport across Germany was being targeted by two of the country’s largest unions demanding higher pay to counter rising costs of living costs. The Verdi union is demanding a raise of 10.5% for its members. Their reasons for the demands include- inflation stoked by high energy and food prices eating into the wages of its members. Walkouts started at midnight at airports, ports, railways, bus services and underground services.

Transportation across Germany was affected, and passengers had to find alternative means of transportation or make alternative travel arrangements. For now, travelers have adopted a wait-and-see attitude as they hope that the labour dispute with the respective union is fully resolved.

Since strikes are unpredictable use this travel tip – check with the airline or travel provider for the latest information and updates before travelling for your peace of mind.