Strike at Eurowings: Austria flights are also affected
The industrial action began as planned, said a spokesman for the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots’ union. No other offer was submitted. Eurowings connections between Germany and Vienna are also affected by the strike, as announced by Vienna Airport on Sunday. In this environment, 18 flights (including 9 outward and 9 return flights) were cancelled.
Strike lasts until Wednesday
Vienna Airport recommended travelers to find out about the status of the booked flight from the airline or tour operator. The destinations Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne and Stuttgart were named as endangered. The strike began at 00:00 on Monday and is expected to last until Wednesday.
The fact that a large part of the flights can take place despite the strike is not least due to the fact that the machines of the Austrian subsidiary Eurowings Europe are not affected by the industrial action. She flies “under full load,” it said. The company also expects that numerous pilots from Eurowings Germany will not follow the call for a strike.
The airline Eurowings Discover, which operates from Frankfurt and Munich, is also not affected by VC’s current strike call. In addition, the Lufthansa subsidiary uses aircraft from partner companies, which also otherwise carry out some of the flights.
Düsseldorf particularly affected
Düsseldorf Airport was hit particularly hard by the strike. According to the Eurowings airport, 102 of the 171 Eurowings flights planned for Monday were canceled before the official start of the strike. 43 connections were canceled in Cologne/Bonn, and 40 take-offs and landings were canceled in Stuttgart.
Flight cancellations: What rights do customers have?
It is the second time in less than 14 days that pilots at the Lufthansa subsidiary have stopped working. During the first strike on October 6th, about half of all flights were cancelled. As a result, tens of thousands of passengers have had to switch to other flights or the train – or postpone their journey.
The Cockpit Association had called on the Eurowings pilots to lay down their work from Monday 00.00 a.m. to Wednesday (19 October). The union explained that the reason for this was the employer’s insufficient offer for the collective agreement. In the labor dispute they will achieve better working conditions for the pilots. Eurowings criticized the strike as disproportionate and irresponsible.
Change to train or rebooking
Overall, Eurowings assumes that despite the industrial action, more than 230 of the around 400 flights will take place on Monday. The Lufthansa subsidiary also expects to be able to carry out more than half of the planned flight program for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Eurowings asked customers to find out about the status of their flight on the website or via the Eurowings app. The passengers should be offered other travel options – such as switching to the train or rebooking on another flight.