The recent one-day Lufthansa strike led to chaos and complaints as 700 passengers flying from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport saw their flights getting cancelled on Friday. The passengers were already at the terminal when they were told that their flights wouldn’t be happening.
In the early hours of September 2nd, 700 passengers along with their friends and family requested refunds and alternative routes as they came to find their flights cancelled. The flights in question were the LH761 scheduled to depart from Delhi at 2:50am to Frankfurt, and the LH763 scheduled to depart at 1:10am from Delhi to Munich. The former consisted of 300 passengers, while the latter was set to accommodate 400 passengers.
The cancellations, although inconvenient, were not a surprise. Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), Germany’s pilots’ union, announced their planned strike on Wednesday as they shared their disappointment of the outcome of their latest negotiations. In the request for more sufficient wages for staff, the VC felt that their needs were not being met within the discussions, therefore organised a one-day strike on Friday. The association’s spokesperson, Matthias Baier, said in a recent statement by the group:
“Aware of our responsibility for companies and guests, we wanted to leave no stone unturned and offered another negotiation date despite an inadequate offer and failed negotiations. We did not receive a sufficient offer today either. This is sobering and a missed opportunity.” (text translated from German)
It is reported that over 800 flights were disrupted on Friday due to Lufthansa’s strikes.
Chaos as Lufthansa Strike Leaves Delhi Passengers without Flights
The outrage was not only felt by passengers but their friends and families who gathered outside the airport and demanded justice. Many students who were amongst the passengers gathered in protest of the situation, which they claimed was not dealt with sufficiently. One claimed that they had been given no food, accommodation or option to re-book, and in the wake of their classes starting in the next week, getting on that flight was an act of urgency.
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