Flight chaos in Germany as airport workers strike

Over 1,000 flights have been canceled or delayed, impacting over 200,000 passengers, as airport security staff kicked off a one-day strike across 11 major airports in Germany on Thursday, according to Germany's airport association ADV.

The strike began on Wednesday night at Cologne/Bonn airport in western Germany when the passenger control staff did not turn up for the night shift. The airport has since canceled 48 departures and 44 arrivals.

Özay Tarim, a spokesperson for the trade union Verdi, said that the strike participation rate in Cologne was 100%.

"It was a successful start to the strike," he said, adding that he expected more than 80% of flights to be canceled during the day.

Which German airports are impacted by the strike?

Security staff also stopped work at airports in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden after Verdi called for industrial action.

Düsseldorf Airport, however, has only had to cancel a third of its flights (63) after the security company there offered workers a "strike-breaking bonus" of €200 ($216) to come to work. The rest of the day's departures (81) were unaffected.

Airports in the southern state of Bavaria — such as Munich and Nuremberg — were not impacted by the industrial action as their security workers are considered public sector workers and have different contracts.

What is the situation at Frankfurt Airport?

At Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt, 310 out of 1,120 scheduled connections were canceled, although some connecting flights still took off. Transit passengers were warned they could also face "strong disruptions and delays" due to the strike. 

"The strike will cause major disruptions and flight cancellations throughout the day," the airport operator Fraport said on its website. "In particular, security checkpoints outside the transit area will remain closed."

It suggested that passengers departing from Frankfurt avoid the airport on Thursday and contact their airline operators.

Lufthansa, Germany's flag carrier airline, has said passengers can rebook their flights until February 8. It also offered domestic travelers train tickets for Thursday at no extra cost.

DW's Kristie Pladson, reporting from Frankfurt airport, said passengers appeared "quite frustrated and unhappy" with people heard yelling profanities in the building.

ADV boss Ralph Beisel protested that Thursday's strike would make airport operators suffer despite not being a party to the wage dispute.

What do the striking airport workers want?

Verdi called the strike after several rounds of collective bargaining talks with the Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) failed to reach an agreement.

The main demand is an hourly wage increase of €2.80. A BDLS spokesperson said they had offered a 4% pay rise for this year followed by a 3% pay rise next year but said the union's demand was unaffordable.

"Verdi and these workers are calling for what they see as wages that better reflect how important they are to the functioning of the airport and to air travel," DW's Pladson said.

"We're also seeing in Germany right now a ripple effect in terms of labor, with people calling for improved wages, improved working conditions, and there does seem to be something of a trend occurring," she added.

Thursday's strike comes after the German train drivers' union GDL called for the country's longest-ever rail strike last week following a dispute with the national rail operator Deutsch Bahn.

Verdi has also called on local public transport workers across most of Germany to strike on Friday.

Lufthansa ground crew strike 'very likely'

Flight chaos in Germany could continue beyond Thursday after Verdi announced that a Lufthansa ground crew strike is also "very likely" in the coming weeks.

The only question, according to union chief negotiator Marvin Reschinsky, is whether staff walk about before or after a third round of talks on February 12. A decision is expected on Monday.

ab/rt (dpa, Reuters) 

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