Lufthansa faces one-day cabin crew strike in Germany

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is preparing for a one-day walkout in Germany after the cabin crew union known as the Independent Flight Attendants’ Organisation (UFO) called a strike for Friday. The action targets staff at the core Lufthansa brand and its feeder airline Cityline, marking the carrier’s third labour disruption in two months.

UFO said all Lufthansa departures from Frankfurt and Munich are expected to be affected during the strike window from 12:01 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The union specified the same period as 2201 GMT Thursday to 2000 GMT Friday. In addition, Cityline cabin crew at nine German airports are set to walk out over the same hours, according to the union.

The union linked the strike call to negotiations that it said have stalled. UFO said votes held at the end of March showed the vast majority of those surveyed supported strike action after talks broke down. It said Lufthansa has not shown flexibility in discussions covering working conditions for 19,000 cabin crew members and the redundancy package for roughly 800 Cityline employees, as Cityline is set to wind down operations.

UFO chief Joachim Vázquez Bürger said the dispute did not need to reach this point and placed responsibility on Lufthansa, saying the company had not presented a proposal suitable for negotiations. The union’s demands include better predictability of shifts and longer notice periods, as outlined by UFO.

Lufthansa urged the union to return to negotiations. Spokesperson Martin Leutke apologised to customers for disruption and described the strike as disproportionate and announced at very short notice.

The planned walkout follows earlier industrial action involving Lufthansa. UFO and the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit held a one-day strike in mid-February that led to large-scale flight cancellations. The pilots then escalated pressure in mid-March with a two-day strike, and the pay dispute referenced in connection with that action remains unresolved.

For travellers and businesses, the immediate uncertainty is the scale of cancellations and rebooking needs across Lufthansa’s main hubs, as the union’s statement focuses on departures from Frankfurt and Munich and on Cityline cabin crew at nine airports. The company and the union have both pointed to negotiations, but the timing and terms of any renewed talks were not detailed in the statements.