12/02/2026 – 12:27 GMT+1
Large parts of Lufthansa’s flight operations have been at a standstill with pilots and cabin crew walking off the job
From Frankfurt to Munich to Berlin: Lufthansa planes will be grounded at many German airports on Thursday. The all-day strike affects numerous flights of the core brand and the cargo division Lufthansa Cargo, which were scheduled to depart from German airports between 12.01am and 11.59pm.
The regional subsidiary CityLine is also affected by a parallel warning strike by flight attendants, according to the Independent Flight Attendants’ Organisation (Ufo), the union for cabin crew.
The company initially did not specify how many flights would be cancelled, as reported by Der Spiegel. What is clear, however, is that there will be extensive flight cancellations. Effects are also to be expected at Euroairport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.
Airlines outside the Lufthansa Group, including Ryanair, Easyjet and Condor, are not affected. Within the Group, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways will continue to fly as planned. Eurowings and Discover are also not part of the current strike call.
What travellers should know now
Lufthansa has announced that affected passengers will be automatically rebooked if alternatives are available. Information will be sent by email. Passengers are asked to check their contact details and check the status of their flight online before travelling to the airport.
For domestic German routes, there is also the option of travelling by train.
Furthermore, travellers have clear rights: as this is an internal company strike, it is not legally considered an “extraordinary circumstance”. In the event of short-term cancellations or significant delays, compensation payments of between 250 and 600 euros may therefore be due, as the lawyer and expert on air passenger rights Feyza Türkön told Münchner Merkur.
The following also applies:
- Entitlement to free replacement transport or reimbursement of the ticket price
- Obligation of the airline to organise alternative connections – also with other airlines – as quickly as possible
- Entitlement to catering, hotel accommodation and communication options in the event of longer waiting times
- Cancellation of the contract in the event of a delay of more than five hours
If the airline does not respond promptly, passengers may book a replacement flight themselves. The costs must then be reimbursed – even if they initially have to be advanced.
Lufthansa in the red
The industrial action by the approximately 4,800 pilots is centred around higher employer contributions to the company pension and transitional pension scheme. Last autumn, the members of the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union had already voted clearly in favour of strike action in a ballot, but suspended it for the time being.
At the same time, the cabin crew union Ufo is demanding new collective labour agreements for around 20,000 employees. The union believes that hundreds of jobs at the subsidiary CityLine in particular are jeopardised by the Group’s strategy and is demanding a collectively agreed redundancy plan.
The company management reacted with clear words and spoke of a “completely unnecessary escalation”, according to the Bild newspaper. Further cost increases are not acceptable in view of the economic situation
The background to this is that the core Lufthansa brand slipped into the red last year. A restructuring programme entitled “Turnaround” is intended to return the Group to profitability. New business figures are expected at the beginning of March.
Until then, however, many travellers are likely to remain in a state of emergency for the time being. A return to regular flight operations is not expected until Friday at the earliest.
