A 24-hour strike by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots’ union and UFO cabin-crew union on 12 February forced Lufthansa to cancel the vast majority of its flights from Frankfurt and Munich—two airports that handle most of the group’s Austrian-bound and Austria-originating traffic.
Although Austrian Airlines, a wholly-owned Lufthansa subsidiary, was **not** on strike, its Vienna schedule came under immediate pressure. By mid-morning almost every seat on Vienna–Frankfurt and Vienna–Munich rotations had sold out, prompting the carrier to up-gauge several services to Airbus A321 capacity and to add two ad-hoc “rescue” flights on the Vienna–Frankfurt route. Austrian Airlines also accepted Lufthansa tickets on a standby basis, while ÖBB issued flexible rail vouchers for passengers able to switch to the high-speed Vienna–Munich corridor.
If you are reassessing future trips in light of these disruptions, remember that having the right travel documents is just as critical as securing a reliable flight. VisaHQ can streamline visa and passport arrangements for Austrian travellers—and for anyone connecting through Vienna—so that last-minute reroutings don’t become paperwork headaches. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/austria/
![Lufthansa strike at German hubs cascades into Austria as travellers re-route via Vienna]()
Corporate travel managers reported widespread itinerary changes. Many redirected executives to connect through Zurich or Brussels—other Lufthansa Group hubs that remained operational—or booked Vienna as an overnight stop to protect next-day departures. Travel-management company CWT said that more than 60 per cent of its Austrian clients with meetings in Western Europe between 12–13 February opted to move appointments online rather than risk further disruption.
From a passenger-rights perspective, the walk-out falls under EU Regulation 261/2004, which treats most airline-employee strikes as *non-extraordinary* events. Lawyers at Vienna-based firm Pochhacker Partners therefore expect eligible travellers to claim compensation of €250–600 in addition to refunds or re-routing. Austrian HR teams have been advised to brief mobile staff on their entitlement and to collect evidence of delay.
Lufthansa says normal operations will resume on 13 February, but unions warn that follow-up action is possible if wage and pension negotiations remain stalled. For Austrian businesses, the episode underlines the value of maintaining contingency routings—particularly during a year in which Europe’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) is already expected to lengthen border formalities.
Although Austrian Airlines, a wholly-owned Lufthansa subsidiary, was **not** on strike, its Vienna schedule came under immediate pressure. By mid-morning almost every seat on Vienna–Frankfurt and Vienna–Munich rotations had sold out, prompting the carrier to up-gauge several services to Airbus A321 capacity and to add two ad-hoc “rescue” flights on the Vienna–Frankfurt route. Austrian Airlines also accepted Lufthansa tickets on a standby basis, while ÖBB issued flexible rail vouchers for passengers able to switch to the high-speed Vienna–Munich corridor.
If you are reassessing future trips in light of these disruptions, remember that having the right travel documents is just as critical as securing a reliable flight. VisaHQ can streamline visa and passport arrangements for Austrian travellers—and for anyone connecting through Vienna—so that last-minute reroutings don’t become paperwork headaches. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/austria/
Corporate travel managers reported widespread itinerary changes. Many redirected executives to connect through Zurich or Brussels—other Lufthansa Group hubs that remained operational—or booked Vienna as an overnight stop to protect next-day departures. Travel-management company CWT said that more than 60 per cent of its Austrian clients with meetings in Western Europe between 12–13 February opted to move appointments online rather than risk further disruption.
From a passenger-rights perspective, the walk-out falls under EU Regulation 261/2004, which treats most airline-employee strikes as *non-extraordinary* events. Lawyers at Vienna-based firm Pochhacker Partners therefore expect eligible travellers to claim compensation of €250–600 in addition to refunds or re-routing. Austrian HR teams have been advised to brief mobile staff on their entitlement and to collect evidence of delay.
Lufthansa says normal operations will resume on 13 February, but unions warn that follow-up action is possible if wage and pension negotiations remain stalled. For Austrian businesses, the episode underlines the value of maintaining contingency routings—particularly during a year in which Europe’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) is already expected to lengthen border formalities.
