Frankfurt – Industrial unrest at the Lufthansa Group is flaring again. On 17 February 2026 the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) announced that it has requested a formal strike ballot among the roughly 500 flight-deck crew at regional carrier CityLine after wage talks collapsed.
VC’s negotiating team says management offered only a pay freeze unless ‘compensating savings’ were found elsewhere. The union is demanding 3.3 percent annual increases for 2024-2026, arguing that CityLine pilots already earn below the group average while flying dense regional schedules into Germany’s hubs. The ballot is expected to close within days; a 70 percent ‘yes’ vote would allow strikes with as little as 48 hours’ notice, potentially hitting feeder flights to Frankfurt and Munich in March.
The timing is sensitive. Lufthansa plans to wind down CityLine operations next year and transfer routes to the newly created Lufthansa City Airlines. VC fears the transition could be used to erode existing collective-bargaining standards, a charge the company denies. Cabin crew represented by UFO staged a one-day warning strike on 12 February, grounding dozens of flights and highlighting operational fragility across the group’s regional network.
![Lufthansa CityLine Pilots Call Strike Vote, Threatening March Flight Schedule]()
For corporate travel managers the prospect of a spring walk-out adds further uncertainty after a winter marked by weather-related cancellations and airport security strikes. Contingency steps include greater reliance on rail for domestic connections, flexible ticketing policies and proactive re-routing via partner carriers within Star Alliance.
Amid such volatility, ensuring that entry documents are in order can save travellers additional headaches. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers real-time visa requirements, expedited processing and automated alerts, giving both individual passengers and corporate mobility teams a reliable resource when last-minute itinerary changes force rebookings through different countries.
Even if an agreement is reached, the dispute underscores a broader trend in German aviation: labour groups are leveraging acute pilot shortages and high demand to claw back real-wage losses from the pandemic years. Multinational employers with German operations should monitor bargaining calendars closely as similar wage rounds at Eurowings and ground-handling subsidiaries come due in Q2.
VC’s negotiating team says management offered only a pay freeze unless ‘compensating savings’ were found elsewhere. The union is demanding 3.3 percent annual increases for 2024-2026, arguing that CityLine pilots already earn below the group average while flying dense regional schedules into Germany’s hubs. The ballot is expected to close within days; a 70 percent ‘yes’ vote would allow strikes with as little as 48 hours’ notice, potentially hitting feeder flights to Frankfurt and Munich in March.
The timing is sensitive. Lufthansa plans to wind down CityLine operations next year and transfer routes to the newly created Lufthansa City Airlines. VC fears the transition could be used to erode existing collective-bargaining standards, a charge the company denies. Cabin crew represented by UFO staged a one-day warning strike on 12 February, grounding dozens of flights and highlighting operational fragility across the group’s regional network.
For corporate travel managers the prospect of a spring walk-out adds further uncertainty after a winter marked by weather-related cancellations and airport security strikes. Contingency steps include greater reliance on rail for domestic connections, flexible ticketing policies and proactive re-routing via partner carriers within Star Alliance.
Amid such volatility, ensuring that entry documents are in order can save travellers additional headaches. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers real-time visa requirements, expedited processing and automated alerts, giving both individual passengers and corporate mobility teams a reliable resource when last-minute itinerary changes force rebookings through different countries.
Even if an agreement is reached, the dispute underscores a broader trend in German aviation: labour groups are leveraging acute pilot shortages and high demand to claw back real-wage losses from the pandemic years. Multinational employers with German operations should monitor bargaining calendars closely as similar wage rounds at Eurowings and ground-handling subsidiaries come due in Q2.
