A few weeks ago while in Frankfurt as part of the FlyerTalk / Vielfliegertreff ‘Advent-Do’, I had arranged for our group to take a tour of Lufthansa’s Cargo facility. The tour gave us on a thorough behind the scenes look at their operation. We were able walk through their warehouses as well visit the ramp where we had the opportunity to board one of their newest 777 Freighters prior to it being loaded. I’ll have much more on the event, including photos from the 777-F, over the next few days as I get caught up.
For now, as a ‘teaser’, I’ll share a video that I was able to take while on the LH Cargo ramp. The video shows the arrival of an MD-11F to her ramp in Frankfurt and I had a chance to stand right next to her as she came in…..
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.
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.
