The strikes have also discouraged numerous customers from booking flights — particularly last-minute ”profitable” flights — resulting in a ”significant sales loss” for the company, he added.
Lufthansa Group reported operating profit of around €2.7 billion ($2.9 billion) — the third-biggest in its history, and up 76% from 2022.
The Verdi union, which represents 25,000 Lufthansa ground staff, had called for them to go on strike from early Thursday and until Saturday morning.
The strikes are just the latest in a wave of industrial action in Germany, famed for its strong legal protections for workers, and follow walkouts by train drivers in January over wages.
Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s state-owned rail operator, said it expected the industrial action to have a “massive” impact on its operations.
Persons:
Berlin CNN —, Remco Steenbergen, Verdi, Marvin Reschinsky, Michael Niggemann, Chris Stern, Olesya Dmitracova, Eve Brennan, Rob North
Organizations:
Berlin CNN, Berlin CNN — Germany’s, Lufthansa Group, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Security, Hamburg, Monetary Fund, Deutsche Bahn
Locations:
Berlin, €, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Germany, Germany’s, London