by Lufthansa Flyer | Dec 1, 2014 | Cargo, Featured, Frankfurt, Lufthansa, Strike |
Lufthansa has updated their Flight Status webpage to reflect the impact of the 2-day strike taking place today and tomorrow. In all, nearly 1,400 flights have thus far been cancelled. The strike will come in 2 stages. On Monday, short and medium haul flights system wide will be impacted from 11:00am to 11:00p on Monday, December 1. Long Haul and Cargo flights will be impacted by part 2 of the strike set to take place between 2:00a and 11:00p on Tuesday, December 2.
Ticketed passengers will be rebooked on other flights or have the option to change their travel dates as long as the original ticket was purchased prior to November 30. If you are traveling today or tomorrow, please check the ‘My Bookings’ page on Lufthansa.com to rebook your ticket or to see what other options may exist to reaccommodate you.
For passengers whose flights have not been cancelled, you can use the same ‘My Bookings’ link provided above to reschedule your flights to a different date. The only restriction is that travel takes place prior to March 1, 2015.
To see the most up-to-date list of cancelled Lufthansa flights, please use this link.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 30, 2014 | Cargo, Featured, Lufthansa, Strike |
No sooner than I post the fact that negotiations have broken down between Lufthansa and their Pilots Union, a strike has been announced for Monday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 2.
The strike is a 2 pronged attack that will affect both short and long haul operations. Cargo operations will be impacted as well.
Specifically, Medium and Short Haul flights will be impacted from noon on Monday December 1 until 11:00p on Tuesday December 2 (Frankfurt local time). Long Haul flights will be affected from Tuesday December 2 from 3:00 am until 11:00 pm (Frankfurt local time). As part of the strike action Cargo flights will be impacted at the same time as the long haul stoppage on Tuesday.
Lufthansa has yet to update their website with specific information on the strike, but you can use this Flight Status link to check the status of your flight and for updates on the strike. Additionally, if you provided your email or cell phone number during your booking process, you will receive automatic updates that impact your flights.
I’ll follow up with another post once Lufthansa begins to list the specific flights that will be cancelled.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 30, 2014 | Featured, Lufthansa, Strike |
The union representing the majority of Lufthansa’s pilots has broken off talks with the airline after failing to reach an agreement in a long-standing labor dispute.
As a result, the union has once again threatened work stoppages that could come at anytime but they did indicate that there will be no strikes during the Christmas Holiday.
The talks have broken off even after Lufthansa offered pilots a 5% pay raise. However the major sticking point revolves around early retirement. The union wants LH to let pilots retire as early as age 55 with a majority of their benefits intact while Lufthansa’s position has remained that the minimum retirement age should be somewhere ‘north’ of 55 for a pilot to earn full retirement benefits.
With these new threats, strikes can be called with as little as 24-48 hours notice and can include pilots from Cargo, Lufthansa and Germanwings. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Lufthansa has become quite adept at handling these strikes and has been proactive in assisting passengers during work stoppages.
I’m sure we’ll hear more in the next few days.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Sep 21, 2014 | Cargo, Featured, Frankfurt, Lufthansa |
If you caught my previous post regarding ‘SAVING THE DATE’ for a great 2-3 days in Frankfurt over Thanksgiving Weekend, you’ll recall that I mentioned I was working on confirming the details for a tour of LH’s Cargo Facility. If you missed that post, click on the link to get caught up!
Well that confirmation has arrived and LUFTHANSA CARGO has invited us to their facility for a detailed look at their operation. As a bonus to the tour and based on their current aircraft timetable, we’ll also have the ability to visit the apron and get up close to one of their 777F freighters that have been added to the fleet this year.
The Cargo Tour will be limited to only 20 people due to security logistics and a limit on how many people can be on an active ramp at the same time. On my last visit to Cargo, I had a chance to be in the cargo hold of an MD11-F during loading and I can see why only a few people can be allowed near the aircraft during loading.
The tour will take place Friday, November 28 in the afternoon and will dove tail nicely with the other events that are planned for the weekend. As of now, there will be a tour of Lufthansa’s Technik hangars which may include boarding a 747-8i to see the new Premium Economy seats being introduced in a few weeks. There are other events planned for the weekend as well.
A tour of Cargo is usually difficult to arrange due to the nature of their business, so we’re fortunate that they agreed to host us for a few hours. I expect sign up for this event to be completed quickly once registration for the events open in the coming weeks.
At the risk of self-promotion, you may want to follow me on twitter at @LufthansaFlyer so you’ll know immediately when sign-up is open for the events. You can also get the latest news from VFT’s thread dedicated to the event.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 18, 2014 | Cargo, Featured, Lufthansa |
Lufthansa Cargo has launched a brand new magazine for its staff and they’ve asked me to share one of the pieces from their first issue. With each issue, LH Cargo will cover the “going’s on” within the company which will include specials that focus on their employees which I’ll share with you in the future.
For the inaugural issue, they decided to look to two of their Captains and asked them to complete sentences and add their comments that define their thoughts and attitudes when it comes to their ‘special ladies’. First, Captain Gottfried Knoll brags on his 777F followed by Captain Michael Schwinn who shares his passion for the MD-11F. It is obvious that these gentlemen do not see what they do for a living as just a ‘job’!
To learn more about LH Cargo and to see some great pictures and content, please be sure to visit their Facebook Page!
