Germany’s biggest airline woke up to its most disruptive labour action of the year on Monday, 24 November, after the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots’ union expanded a walk-out first declared for Sunday. From 00:01 on 23 November through 23:59 on 24 November, Lufthansa mainline pilots halted all departures in a bid to force higher employer contributions to the carrier’s pension scheme.
By Monday afternoon Lufthansa had cancelled 912 flights—including 82 long-haul sectors—at Frankfurt and Munich, stranding an estimated 115,000 passengers. The company chartered 4,000 hotel rooms around both hubs and pushed more than 70,000 re-booking notifications by SMS and e-mail. Group airlines SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Air Dolomiti were not involved in the strike and operated a skeleton feeder schedule, but airport congestion caused knock-on delays nationwide.
![Lufthansa pilot strike cancels 900-plus flights and snarls German business travel]()
For corporate mobility teams the timing could hardly be worse. After two years of pandemic-related disruption, German consular posts are finally working through visa backlogs; thousands of assignees have residence-permit activation appointments this week. The Federal Police normally show limited flexibility, but travellers must present proof of the cancellation to secure a new slot. Freight managers also face a squeeze: although Lufthansa Cargo is not on strike, belly-hold capacity on passenger aircraft has dropped by roughly one-third, tightening space for high-value and time-critical shipments.
The dispute underscores a wider risk for companies that rely on Germany as a mobility hub. Draft legislation to impose minimum-service requirements on “critical transport infrastructure” is still buried in committee in the Bundestag, meaning even 48-hour strikes can shut down flight operations entirely. Travel managers are therefore advising executives to keep rail itineraries and alternative routings via Amsterdam, Paris or Vienna on file and to build extra contingency days into project schedules.
Negotiations resume on Wednesday. If no deal is reached, VC has threatened further walk-outs in December—potentially overlapping with the peak expatriate home-leave season and the first wave of post-Brexit British holidaymakers heading to Germany’s Christmas markets.
By Monday afternoon Lufthansa had cancelled 912 flights—including 82 long-haul sectors—at Frankfurt and Munich, stranding an estimated 115,000 passengers. The company chartered 4,000 hotel rooms around both hubs and pushed more than 70,000 re-booking notifications by SMS and e-mail. Group airlines SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Air Dolomiti were not involved in the strike and operated a skeleton feeder schedule, but airport congestion caused knock-on delays nationwide.
For corporate mobility teams the timing could hardly be worse. After two years of pandemic-related disruption, German consular posts are finally working through visa backlogs; thousands of assignees have residence-permit activation appointments this week. The Federal Police normally show limited flexibility, but travellers must present proof of the cancellation to secure a new slot. Freight managers also face a squeeze: although Lufthansa Cargo is not on strike, belly-hold capacity on passenger aircraft has dropped by roughly one-third, tightening space for high-value and time-critical shipments.
The dispute underscores a wider risk for companies that rely on Germany as a mobility hub. Draft legislation to impose minimum-service requirements on “critical transport infrastructure” is still buried in committee in the Bundestag, meaning even 48-hour strikes can shut down flight operations entirely. Travel managers are therefore advising executives to keep rail itineraries and alternative routings via Amsterdam, Paris or Vienna on file and to build extra contingency days into project schedules.
Negotiations resume on Wednesday. If no deal is reached, VC has threatened further walk-outs in December—potentially overlapping with the peak expatriate home-leave season and the first wave of post-Brexit British holidaymakers heading to Germany’s Christmas markets.
