Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa is bracing for its first coordinated 24-hour walk-out of 2026 after both the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots’ union and the UFO cabin-crew union called a nation-wide strike for Thursday, 12 February. Regional newspapers in North-Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin confirmed that all Lufthansa departures from Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Berlin-Brandenburg (BER) have already been removed from flight schedules, while scores of domestic rotations to Frankfurt and Munich were proactively cancelled on Wednesday evening.
The labour action comes only weeks after VC members voted by 92 % to back industrial measures should talks over inflation-linked pay rises and improved retirement benefits stall. UFO, which represents around 19,000 cabin crew, is using the same window to increase pressure for a separate collective-bargaining round. By synchronising their strikes, the two unions aim to ground the vast majority of Lufthansa’s mainline operation, leaving the airline with little room to shuttle crews or aircraft between hubs. Eurowings and Discover, two independently staffed subsidiaries, are not affected.
For travellers who suddenly find themselves rerouting through unfamiliar airports, VisaHQ can shoulder the headache of updated visa or transit-document requirements. The company’s intuitive portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) lets business-travel coordinators upload paperwork and obtain Schengen or onward-destination visas on an expedited basis—often within 24 hours—so a last-minute diversion from Frankfurt to Amsterdam doesn’t turn into an immigration snag.
![Nation-wide Lufthansa Strike on 12 February to Paralyse German Hubs]()
For business travellers the timing is awkward. Frankfurt and Munich are critical long-haul gateways for the corporate market, and the February school-holiday peak in several German states means leisure demand is also surging. Lufthansa is offering free re-bookings and, on domestic sectors, rail vouchers that allow passengers to switch to Deutsche Bahn. Nevertheless, travel-management companies estimate that as many as 120,000 passengers could see flights cancelled or severely delayed.
Multinational employers with time-sensitive assignee travel should consider rerouting staff through Amsterdam, Zurich or Vienna, though remaining seats are disappearing fast and prices have spiked 40–60 % on key intra-European routes. Where travel is unavoidable, HR teams are advised to issue official "travel-is-business-critical" letters so that employees can claim priority assistance at disrupted airports.
The strike also highlights a broader challenge for German aviation: prolonged pay disputes and cost-cutting after the pandemic have left staff morale fragile. Unless Lufthansa and its unions reach a multi-year deal, further stoppages cannot be ruled out—something mobility managers will need to factor into contingency plans for the rest of 2026.
The labour action comes only weeks after VC members voted by 92 % to back industrial measures should talks over inflation-linked pay rises and improved retirement benefits stall. UFO, which represents around 19,000 cabin crew, is using the same window to increase pressure for a separate collective-bargaining round. By synchronising their strikes, the two unions aim to ground the vast majority of Lufthansa’s mainline operation, leaving the airline with little room to shuttle crews or aircraft between hubs. Eurowings and Discover, two independently staffed subsidiaries, are not affected.
For travellers who suddenly find themselves rerouting through unfamiliar airports, VisaHQ can shoulder the headache of updated visa or transit-document requirements. The company’s intuitive portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) lets business-travel coordinators upload paperwork and obtain Schengen or onward-destination visas on an expedited basis—often within 24 hours—so a last-minute diversion from Frankfurt to Amsterdam doesn’t turn into an immigration snag.
For business travellers the timing is awkward. Frankfurt and Munich are critical long-haul gateways for the corporate market, and the February school-holiday peak in several German states means leisure demand is also surging. Lufthansa is offering free re-bookings and, on domestic sectors, rail vouchers that allow passengers to switch to Deutsche Bahn. Nevertheless, travel-management companies estimate that as many as 120,000 passengers could see flights cancelled or severely delayed.
Multinational employers with time-sensitive assignee travel should consider rerouting staff through Amsterdam, Zurich or Vienna, though remaining seats are disappearing fast and prices have spiked 40–60 % on key intra-European routes. Where travel is unavoidable, HR teams are advised to issue official "travel-is-business-critical" letters so that employees can claim priority assistance at disrupted airports.
The strike also highlights a broader challenge for German aviation: prolonged pay disputes and cost-cutting after the pandemic have left staff morale fragile. Unless Lufthansa and its unions reach a multi-year deal, further stoppages cannot be ruled out—something mobility managers will need to factor into contingency plans for the rest of 2026.
