Lufthansa flight attendants are paralyzing operations on Friday – with consequences for thousands of travelers. Why the tariff dispute is escalating and what affected passengers can do now.
April 10, 2026, 06:38April 10, 2026, 06:38
What happened?
At the end of the Easter travel wave, Lufthansa cabin crew went on strike, which led to hundreds of flight cancellations. The approximately 20,000 flight attendants have been told to stop working since midnight.
Lufthansa cabin crew went on strike.Image: keystone
Which flights are affected?
Hundreds of departures will be affected on Friday until 10 p.m. Only the departures in Germany at the Munich and Frankfurt hubs as well as at numerous other airports such as Leipzig/Halle, Berlin or Stuttgart are officially on strike. Because there will be a lack of aircraft at foreign destinations, numerous return flights are likely to be canceled for the time being.
How does Swiss react?
The Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss wants to use larger aircraft on flights to Frankfurt and Munich. This means that some passengers could still get to their destination.
Swiss uses larger aircraft on some flights.Image: keystone
«We are aware that strikes cause inconvenience for many travelers. Our goal is therefore to provide additional capacity within our means and to bring as many passengers as possible to their destination,” Swiss wrote on Thursday morning in response to a request from the Keystone-SDA news agency. Initially there are eight flights between Zurich and Frankfurt as well as Zurich and Munich. More flights could be added, according to Swiss.
The airline is in close contact with the company, it said. Travelers should regularly check the status of their booking and update contact details if necessary. This is the only way they can be contacted directly in the event of flight cancellations.
What recommendations are there for passengers?
Lufthansa also advises passengers to obtain comprehensive information about their flight. Tickets can be rebooked or refunded. Passengers are also entitled to compensation for delays of more than three hours. The airline must also provide alternative transport, food and accommodation.
What is the reason for the strike?
The cabin union UFO has called for a strike in order to bring movement into several deadlocked collective bargaining disputes at the Lufthansa core company and the regional subsidiary Lufthansa Cityline.
The strike was preceded by a warning strike and a strike vote. This resulted in a high level of support among employees for industrial action.
The conflict is about the collective bargaining of the standard tariff at Lufthansa and, according to UFO, the company’s unwillingness to negotiate a social collective agreement at Cityline. It was said that around 800 livelihoods depended on it.
After two rounds of pilot strikes, it is the third major strike this year at Germany’s largest airline. (dab/sda/dpa)
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