Germany’s aviation network was thrown into disarray on 14 January after simultaneous warning strikes by the public-service union ver.di shut down or severely curtailed operations at 13 commercial airports, including Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Düsseldorf. Airport association ADV estimated that more than 3,400 departures and arrivals were scrubbed, affecting roughly 510,000 travellers. (aa.com.tr)
Ver.di is demanding an 8 percent pay rise (or a minimum €350 a month) for ground-handling and security staff employed by municipal authorities and private service providers. Employers have so far offered far lower percentage increases, arguing that airports are still recovering financially from the pandemic. The next collective-bargaining round is set for 26 March, but ver.di warned it could escalate industrial action if negotiations stall again. (aa.com.tr)
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the walk-outs disrupted not only outbound business trips but also inward assignments: Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners pre-emptively cancelled the bulk of their European feeder flights, complicating onward connections for long-haul passengers. Carriers rebooked travellers where possible, but queues at call centres and online portals stretched for hours. Larger companies with travel-management teams were better able to reroute executives via rail or neighbouring hubs such as Zürich and Amsterdam; SMEs struggled to find alternatives at short notice.
![Germany-wide airport strikes cancel over 3,400 flights and disrupt half a million passengers]()
Amid such uncertainty, companies may also need to verify that employees’ travel documents are in order before rebooking through alternative gateways. VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers quick online visa checks, application assistance and passport-renewal services, enabling travel managers to secure the paperwork required for rerouted itineraries or last-minute switches to non-Schengen destinations.
Travel-managers should advise employees booked to fly in the next 72 hours to check flight status continuously and build in additional transit time. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers are entitled to re-routing or refunds but not compensation, because strikes by airport staff are considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ beyond the airline’s control.
Longer-term, organisations may wish to review their duty-of-care frameworks: ver.di has hinted that a coordinated public-sector strike could hit rail, municipal transport and immigration offices later this quarter, raising the probability of multi-modal disruption.
Ver.di is demanding an 8 percent pay rise (or a minimum €350 a month) for ground-handling and security staff employed by municipal authorities and private service providers. Employers have so far offered far lower percentage increases, arguing that airports are still recovering financially from the pandemic. The next collective-bargaining round is set for 26 March, but ver.di warned it could escalate industrial action if negotiations stall again. (aa.com.tr)
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the walk-outs disrupted not only outbound business trips but also inward assignments: Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners pre-emptively cancelled the bulk of their European feeder flights, complicating onward connections for long-haul passengers. Carriers rebooked travellers where possible, but queues at call centres and online portals stretched for hours. Larger companies with travel-management teams were better able to reroute executives via rail or neighbouring hubs such as Zürich and Amsterdam; SMEs struggled to find alternatives at short notice.
Amid such uncertainty, companies may also need to verify that employees’ travel documents are in order before rebooking through alternative gateways. VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers quick online visa checks, application assistance and passport-renewal services, enabling travel managers to secure the paperwork required for rerouted itineraries or last-minute switches to non-Schengen destinations.
Travel-managers should advise employees booked to fly in the next 72 hours to check flight status continuously and build in additional transit time. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers are entitled to re-routing or refunds but not compensation, because strikes by airport staff are considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ beyond the airline’s control.
Longer-term, organisations may wish to review their duty-of-care frameworks: ver.di has hinted that a coordinated public-sector strike could hit rail, municipal transport and immigration offices later this quarter, raising the probability of multi-modal disruption.
