German airline Lufthansa, one of the largest airlines in Europe and the world, is preparing for a hot August on the business front as it flies planes full of vacationers. 97.6% of German pilots’ union members, Vereinigung Cockpit, gave a positive opinion of the union’s work. The vote doesn’t mean there will definitely be a strike, but it puts pressure on the airline In the midst of negotiations not only with commanders and first officers, but also with field workers.
Numbers
This month, according to the data provided to courier By Airline Data Inc, the only Lufthansa company (the company, not the group) It expects to operate approximately 40,500 flights, with a daily average of 1,300, and about 6.3 million seats for sale. According to Eurocontrol – the European agency that monitors the skies of the ancient continent, Lufthansa took off 1149 on July 31, right after Ryanair (group), easyJet, Turkish Airlines. In short, even the day of the strike may involve more than 200,000 people. It follows the cancellation of nearly 700 flights due to the ground crew strike on July 27-28, and the cancellation of nearly 7,000 flights by the airline due to staff shortages in European skies..
Union demands
Lufthansa pilots demand a 5.5% salary increase (plus automatic inflation adjustment). Employees of the land services – about 20 thousand – proposed a wage increase of 9.5%, that is, at least 350 euros per month for twelve months. For the latter, Lufthansa has re-launched an 18-month package divided as follows: an additional 150 euros per month, starting in July, until the end of the year. Then 100 euros per month more than in January 2023, plus a 2% increase from mid-2023. On August 3-4, there will be another peak.
Financial results with increasing profits
In this period, employees of airlines, airports and service companies are increasingly demanding an upward salary review to counter the rising cost of living. Company accounts support them, too. In the April-June quarter of this year – and thus without taking into account the summer boom – two years after Covid, Air France – Klm-Transavia (+324 million euros), Ryanair (+170 million), British Airways (+54 million), Iberia (+93 million), Aer Lingus (+15 million). The Lufthansa Group (which also includes Swiss and Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Air Dolomiti) will present on August 4 the quarterly report with a positive Ebit between 350 and 400 million euros.
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