Germany: Ground & security staff to strike at five airports on March 14

Travel chaos in Germany continues as unionized ground staff and security employees will strike at five airports on Thursday (March 14), adding to a wave of labour disputes that have disrupted the country’s transportation sector.  

This latest work stoppage will target Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Cologne Bonne Airport (CGN), Hamburg Airport (HAM), Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB), and Stuttgart Airport (STR) for the entire day, according to Ver.di, the workers’ union.

In five rounds of collective bargaining with the federal association of aviation security companies (BDLS) to date, no agreement has been reached to increase wages for the approximately 25,000 employees, according to Reuters.

Air travel disruptions are expected at the impacted airports tomorrow, mostly due to delays in check-in and security clearance.

Striking workers could stage pickets or other low-level demonstrations at the airport, one local report says, and heightened security and localized transport delays are likely near any gatherings that may occur.

Stay away, says Lufthansa

Access to the departure gates at the aforementioned airports will “not be possible,” wrote Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa on the social media platform X on Wednesday (May. 13).

“We kindly ask all guests who wish to begin their journey at one of the mentioned airports on March 14th not to come to the respective airport. Guests who cannot reach their flight due to the Verdi strike are currently being rebooked by us,” the airline wrote. “Guests whose booking has already been processed will receive information about the cancellation of their flight and, of course, rebooking options individually via email or in the Lufthansa app. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.”

The walkout marks yet another round of turbulence for Lufthansa and other Germany-based carriers. Earlier this week, a two-day cabin crew strike was called for March 12 and 13, adding to the airline’s woes.

The UFO union of flight attendants said the strike will disrupt departures from Frankfurt airport on Tuesday and from Munich on Wednesday.

Lufthansa said about 100,000 passengers will likely be affected. The job action is also impacting short-haul carrier CityLine.

Germany's transportation sector has faced several disruptions in recent weeks due to strike action. Last week, Lufthansa’s ground staff walked off the job, forcing the carrier to operate just 10 per cent to 20 per cent of its schedule.

The action coincided with another walkout at rail operator Deutsche Bahn, resulting in a dual strike that impacted millions of travellers.

The country’s long-distance and regional rail network came to a halt last week as train drivers called a 35-hour strike over their pay rate.

In addition, last month, security staff at the country’s biggest airports took job action following unsuccessful pay negotiations, a move that grounded flights at German airports, including Frankfurt, a global hub.

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