The union representing the majority of Lufthansa’s pilots has followed up on their threat to call strikes on short notice by asking pilots for ‘germanwings’ to strike on Friday from 6:00a to noon (CEST). This will affect upwards of 116 flights.
The strike can still be averted if a negotiation session taking place today goes well and sides can reach some agreement on the issues at hand. The biggest sticking point creating this mess is the fact that the union wants pilots to be able to take 60% of their income if or when they retire at age 55, while Lufthansa is suggesting that pilots can fly until they are 65 and begin taking benefits at that point.
If your germanwings flights are impacted by this strike, please use this link to contact their service center so that they can reaccommodate you.
I wish I could retire at 55 and get 60% of my income at that point. Sounds a bit too optimistic 😉 .