German Warning Strikes also Affect Air Traffic in Austria

Germany is once again facing a large-scale warning strike, which will not only severely affect domestic air traffic in Germany but is also likely to have a serious impact on international aviation, particularly in Austria. The trade union ver.di has called for work stoppages at a total of 13 major airports on Monday, March 11. The airports affected include Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg and Leipzig-Halle.

There will also be strikes at the smaller airports of Weeze near Düsseldorf and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. These are separate wage disputes. The consequences of the strike are immense: according to the airport association ADV, over 3,400 flights are expected to be canceled. This means that around 510,000 passengers will not be able to travel at all or only with considerable delays. However, the effects are not limited to Germany itself. Many international connections are also affected - especially flights between Germany and Austria.

Austria massively affected - 45 flights from Vienna were canceled

The Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines (AUA) and other airlines have been forced to cancel a large number of flights between Germany and Austria. Vienna-Schwechat Airport is particularly affected: According to the latest figures, 45 flights between the Austrian capital and various German airports have been canceled here.

There are daily departures from Vienna alone:

• Six flights to Munich - Five flights to Stuttgart
• Eleven flights to Frankfurt - Seven flights each to Düsseldorf and Hamburg
• Two flights each to Hanover and Leipzig

Flights from Salzburg, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck, and Klagenfurt are also affected. At Salzburg Airport, all eight take-offs and seven landings to and from Germany were canceled for Monday. In Graz, 14 flights have been canceled.

Vienna Airport strongly recommends that travelers check the airlines' websites or contact their tour operator directly to check alternative flight connections. Austrian Airlines intends to inform affected passengers directly via their stored contact details about cancelations and rebookings.

Why is there a strike? The demands of the trade union ver.di

The warning strike is part of an ongoing wage dispute between the trade union ver.di and the employers in the public sector. In addition to ground transportation services, employees who work by the public service pay scale are also affected. The union is demanding a wage increase of eight percent, but at least 350 euros more per month. It is also demanding

• Supplements for work at inconvenient times
• Higher pay for trainees and interns
• Three additional days off for employees

The employers' side considers these demands to be unaffordable and describes them as exaggerated and excessive. As two rounds of negotiations have already failed to produce any results, the union is using the strike to exert additional pressure. Union secretary Lars Stubbe explained: “We are aware that this strike will affect thousands of travelers. We are sorry about that. But we aim to build up economic pressure on the employers so that they finally present an acceptable offer.”

Sudden warning strike in Hamburg caused chaos

The first warning strike at Hamburg Airport began on Sunday, March 10 - but without warning, as reported by ORF. With only 30 minutes' notice, the ground staff walked off the job. The result: 144 planned arrivals and 139 departures were canceled. Only ten flights were able to take place at all and round 40,000 travelers were affected.

Hamburg Airport was forced to suspend all operations. Passengers who were due to take off for their spring break were hit particularly hard. The airport spokeswoman expressed massive criticism of the union: “We are appalled by the ruthlessness of ver.di. A strike should be the last resort, not the first. The victims are thousands of people who have nothing to do with the wage dispute.”

Trade union strategy: avoid strikebreakers

According to ver.di, one reason for the unannounced strike in Hamburg is that employers would rely on strikebreakers as soon as they learn of a planned strike. The warning strike was carried out without prior notice in order to prevent this. “When we announce strikes in advance, airports and airlines respond by using workers from other areas to keep operations running. This weakens the impact of the strike,” says union secretary Stubbe.

Strike not only affects airports - rail and local transport are also affected

The wave of strikes in Germany is not limited to airports. Other sectors are also affected:

• In Düsseldorf, local public transport is on strike (Rheinbahn)
• In Hamburg, hospitals, kindergartens, and city cleaning services will remain closed

The employers' side has announced that it will offer a “viable” solution in the next round of negotiations in mid-March. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to prevent further strikes.

What does this mean for travelers?

The large-scale warning strike will lead to considerable delays and flight cancellations on Monday. Travelers should find out about alternative routes in good time and be patient when rebooking.

• Air travelers should contact their airline to obtain up-to-date information about their flight
• Trains or long-distance buses could be an alternative, although cancellations and delays are to be expected here too
• Anyone who can still rebook should check alternative travel routes - possibly via airports in neighboring countries

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