Lufthansa Pilots Strike April 13-14

Pilots across the Lufthansa group, including Lufthansa, CityLine, and Eurowings, are staging a 48-hour strike on April 13-14, promising widespread disruption at major German airports. This industrial action stems from collapsed talks over pay and pensions, highlighting escalating labor tensions and forcing the cancellation of an estimated 60% of flights.

Pilots from Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, CityLine, and Eurowings are scheduled for a 48-hour strike from April 13-14, as reported by CTV News. This action follows a previous cabin-crew strike, indicating escalating labor tensions within the airline group.
The industrial action stems from an ongoing dispute over pay and pensions, with talks mediated by the Federal Labour Ministry having collapsed. As GuruFocus noted, this highlights unresolved wage negotiations and issues over pension schemes.
Significant disruption is expected, especially at major German hubs like Frankfurt and Munich airports. VisaHQ reported that only about 40% of flights are anticipated to operate from these hubs, causing serious headaches for travelers.
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union initiated the strike, stating they were "forced to take this step after the employer side shows no recognizable will to find a solution in several collective bargaining conflicts," according to PYOK.
The union's demands include improved supplementary pension arrangements for pilots and annual salary increases for Lufthansa CityLine, as detailed by VisaHQ.
Travelers with bookings on affected dates may face automatic cancellations and could qualify for €250–600 compensation under EU261 regulations, as noted by one report.