Lufthansa is pulling out all the stops to celebrate its 100th anniversary in the most authentic way possible, and it involves lots of industrial action. A few weeks ago, Lufthansa pilots went on a two-day strike, and now Lufthansa flight attendants are planning a one-day strike.
In this post:
Details of the Lufthansa flight attendant strike
The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO), which is the union representing Lufthansa flight attendants, has called on its members to engage in a strike. With this strike, the expectation is that virtually all flights departing from Germany on Friday, April 10, 2026, will be canceled (between 12:01AM and 10PM). This will hit passengers really hard, given that it’s right at the end of the Easter holiday, which is popular for travel.
This strike impacts Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine, but doesn’t apply to other Lufthansa Group airlines, like Austrian or SWISS. It’s expected that roughly 100,000 passengers will be impacted by the strike. Lufthansa is trying to minimize the impact of the strike as much as possible by having some flights operated by other airlines within the Lufthansa Group.
In a statement, Lufthansa blasted the union, sharing “viable solutions can only be achieved through dialogue,” “strikes must always be the last resort,” and “we remain open to talks and therefore call on the union to resume dialogue with us.”
What Lufthansa flight attendants are fighting for
Why are Lufthansa flight attendants going on strike? Well, it stems from the two sides not being able to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, and for around five months, zero progress has reportedly been made. Recently flight attendants could vote on whether to pursue industrial action, and 94% voted in favor of that.
The union is outright accusing Lufthansa of failing to submit an offer, claiming the airline hasn’t moved “one millimeter.” Instead, Lufthansa is seeking cuts to existing benefits and protections, which the union isn’t even willing to consider.
This strike doesn’t just involve Lufthansa, but also Lufthansa CityLine, though. Lufthansa CityLine is currently being dissolved and is being replaced by Lufthansa City Airlines, as part of a play to reduce labor costs. After all, Lufthansa Group’s specialty is finding new labor arbitrage opportunities.
According to the union, the strike at Lufthansa CityLine is due to the “continued unwillingness of the employer to enter into negotiations on a collectively agreed social plan, to address our demands, or at least to submit a negotiable offer, despite the planned cessation of flight operations and the existential consequences for around 800 cabin crew members.”
Bottom line
Lufthansa flight attendants are going on strike on Friday, April 10, 2026, and a vast majority of flights are expected to be canceled. This all follows a strike from pilots last month, with neither work group seemingly being any closer to a new contract. Hopefully both pilots and flight attendants can get a new contract soon, since it’s not good to have the potential of strikes at any moment.
What do you make of this Lufthansa flight attendant strike?
Many European airlines, in particular from the southern part, have leared their lessen and signficantly improved labor relations, resulting in very few strikes these days. Lufthansa (and Germany in general) has gone the other way around. They used to have good labor relations and hardly any strikes. But nowadays, Germany is the most strike prone country.
I think all airline workers in every country should go on strike on April 10th. :D It would be awesome watching the chaos.
Good for them. US Flight attendants should take note.