Flights to Newcastle Airport from Germany to be affected by one-day strike - Journal Live

FLIGHTS into Newcastle Airport by the German airline Lufthansa are expected to be cancelled today due to strike action.

The one-day protest, down to a pay dispute, will result in only about 20 of more than 1,650 scheduled short-haul flights operating.

The German airports affected by the strike are Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf and Hamburg. The airline said many long-haul services will also be hit , with only six of 50 planned flights operating at its main Frankfurt hub, and only three of 17 in Munich.

Passengers affected by the cancellations can re-book for free, Lufthansa said.

The ver.di trade union announced the one-day “warning strike” – a tactic commonly used by German unions to raise pressure in wage talks – on Friday.

Last Wednesday, Lufthansa rejected the union’s demand for wage increases of 5.2% over the next year as well as job guarantees.

Last year, the airline and a union representing cabin crews called in an arbitrator to settle a pay dispute after the union staged a series of short-term stoppages that caused numerous flight cancellations.

The strike will see around 100 flights – including departures and arrivals – cancelled at UK airports in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dublin, as well as Newcastle.