The crew strike at the Lufthansa subsidiary Discover announced for Friday is having its first impact. The company has returned ten flights that it was supposed to fly on Friday for parent company Lufthansa in Munich.
According to a spokesman, efforts are being made to present the flights with aircraft and crews in a different way. However, it was still unclear on Thursday afternoon whether the Discover Airlines flights planned from Frankfurt could take place.
A Discover spokeswoman emphasized again that everything is being done to get as many passengers as possible to their destination. She couldn’t say whether flights would have to be canceled. The company had originally spoken of around 20 departures from Frankfurt during the strike period. There were 14 takeoffs listed on the airport’s schedule for Friday, one of which was canceled to Cancun, Mexico. Of 15 planned landings, two from Cancun and Philadelphia have been canceled. In principle, only departures from Germany are on strike, but this can also have consequences for connecting flights.
It’s about initial collective agreements
On Wednesday evening, the Cockpit pilots’ union called on its members to go on an all-day strike on Friday. The cabin union UFO later joined in with a warning strike that also lasted 24 hours. It’s about initial collective agreements in the holiday airline, which was only founded two and a half years ago and currently has 24 aircraft. The interaction between the crews should make it more difficult for the company to find sufficient staff for the flights, union circles said.
The company sharply criticized the strike calls and described them as an unnecessary escalation. “While the VC recently categorically rejected every offer from Discover Airlines to continue the talks, the UFO is calling for a warning strike in a company with which it has not previously had a single conversation,” explained a spokeswoman. We regret the impact this strike will have on travelers’ travel plans.
UFO negotiator Harry Jäger rejected the allegations. Since the company was founded, management has blocked UFO’s requests for discussions. We therefore see no other means than a warning strike to finally be heard. The Discover spokeswoman, however, said that a meeting that had already been arranged last September was canceled at short notice by the UFO. The company is ready to talk at any time.
First warning strike in December
A first warning strike by the pilots on the day before Christmas Eve went smoothly for most passengers. Discover was able to reschedule flights to times outside the five-hour strike window. However, a longer strike could result in flight cancellations. After the surprising warning strike, Lufthansa demanded an additional agreement on how to deal with each other – a so-called social partner charter. This was rejected by the VC as a restriction on freedom of collective bargaining.
The Lufthansa Group’s holiday airline was initially launched in the Corona summer of 2021 under the name “Eurowings Discover” and was later renamed “Discover Airlines”. Discover is intended to be cheaper than the Lufthansa core brand and to compete with holiday airlines such as Condor.
In a ballot, almost 96 percent of VC members voted for industrial action. There is currently no collective agreement for cabin crews either. The UFO union, which has not yet held a ballot, is negotiating there.
Current flight information Discover Airlines
