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☆ Strike at Berlin airport to ground flights on Wednesday, operator says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The operator of Germany's BER airport in the capital Berlin expects a strike planned for Wednesday to ground all regular passenger flights, the airport operator told Reuters on Monday. Around 300 takeoffs and landings were planned for Wednesday, when 35,000 passengers were to travel via the airport. "The airport company must assume in this situation that no regular passenger flights can take place at BER on this day," a spokesperson said. The Ver.di union has called on airport staff in ground services, aviation security and at the airport company to strike in a wage dispute. The union said it expects many workers to participate and all air traffic to and from Berlin to be affected by the all day strike.

☆ Germany's education advantage over European peers at risk - IW Study
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Germany is well positioned in education levels when compared with its European peers, but a study conducted by the IW economic institute showed that this privileged position could be at risk. Having a strong education and vocational training system is important to Germany's economy, Europe's largest, which relies on skilled labour to support its high-end products and services. "Germany has been left behind to a certain extent in the strong expansion of education that has taken place throughout the European Union in recent years," according to the study of the IW, to which Reuters had access on Saturday. "This should be seen against the background of the very special position of vocational education and training in Germany," the IW said. If one looks at the segment of young professionals with tertiary and secondary vocational training together, Germany has a significantly higher share of 77.0% of educated professionals than the 73.4% for the European Union.

☆ TUI: Luxury holiday demand boosts sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Travel giant TUI (TUIGn.DE) reported on Friday a boost in demand for luxury holidays, driving sales for the winter 2022/23 period higher than they had been in the corresponding 2018/19 period, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit international travel. "Demand is currently particularly strong," said Steffen Boehnke, director of airtours, TUI's luxury travel segment, in a statement. Sales for the summer 2023 period were above the level seen last year following strong bookings in the first weeks of January, according to the statement. "Our guests are booking more high-quality and for longer," said Boehnke, adding that trips were two and a half days longer on average and that around one in four travellers were choosing accommodation with villas or suites with a private pool. Reporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Maria SheahanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Around 40% of German companies expect output decline in 2023 - IW institute
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Four out of ten German companies expect business to shrink in 2023, a survey by the German Economic Institute (IW) showed on Monday, blaming high energy costs, supply chain issues and the continuing war in Ukraine. However, they remain at a high level and production disruptions cannot be ruled out," the IW said in the survey seen by Reuters. The survey of around 2,500 companies showed that around a third of companies expect output to stagnate and the remaining quarter predict business will grow. The outlook is particularly bleak in the German construction sector, where more than half of companies surveyed by IW expect a decline in production and just 15% anticipate more business. The picture is barely brighter in industry, where 39% of surveyed companies forecast a decline, driven by a cautious assessment in the consumer and basic industries.

☆ Berlusconi-backed MFE notifies Austrian watchdog about Prosiebensat.1 holding
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ZURICH, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Italian businessman Silvio Berlusconi family's MediaForEurope NV vehicle has notified the Austrian competition authority about the "acquisition of de facto sole control of ProSiebenSat1 Media DE Deutschland" (PSMGn.DE), the competition watchdog said. MFE had no comment on the notification, which was first reported by German media portal DE24LIVE. The announcement, dated Dec. 13 on the Austrian regulator's website was made because ProSieben also operates in German-speaking Austria. MFE, controlled by the former Italian prime minister's family, has built, partly through derivatives, a 29.9% voting stake in its German rival, cementing its position as single biggest shareholder. "We haven't really seen ProSieben address the big challenges the industry faces: audience decline, digital transformation ... and the need for scale to compete with digital giants," MFE finance chief Marco Giordani told analysts.

☆ Penguin Random House CEO to quit after merger blocked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Penguin Random House head Markus Dohle will step down at the end of the year after a U.S. judge blocked a planned $2.2 billion merger of the world's largest publisher and rival Simon & Schuster, the company said in a statement on Friday. Nihar Malaviya, who is president and chief operating officer of Penguin Random House U.S., will take over as interim CEO from Jan. 1, the company said. Thomas Rabe, chief executive of Penguin's German owner Bertelsmann (BTGGg.F), expressed full confidence in Malaviya, who he said had a chance of permanently becoming CEO. With the deal's dissolution, Penguin will pay a $200 million termination fee to Paramount. Reporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Climate activists glue themselves to airport tarmac in Berlin and Munich
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Activists of "Letzte Generation" (Last Generation) glued themselves to the tarmac of the airport to protest for a speed limit on highways as well as for affordable public transport, in Munich, Germany, December 8, 2022. REUTERS/Anja GuderBERLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Climate activists took their protest against cheap air travel to two of Germany's largest airports on Thursday, with some gluing themselves to the tarmac in Munich and Berlin. According to local media, flights at Munich airport were disrupted. Police in southern Germany said the protesters were currently being unglued from the Munich airport tarmac and taken into custody, and the protests were dispersed. Thursday's actions are the latest effort by activists to raise awareness by blocking runways and streets in Germany.

☆ Almost one in five Germans dipping into savings to get by - poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Nearly one in five people in Germany have had to draw on their savings to cover everyday costs as rising inflation cuts into their purchasing power, a survey by the Kantar polling institute published on Tuesday found. According to the survey of 2,000 people, 19.4% of respondents said they were using their savings to get by. By contrast, 57.4% of respondents said they could manage without having to dip into savings. German consumer prices, harmonised to compare with other European Union countries, were up 11.6% on the year in October. Reporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Maria Sheahan and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Penguin Random House scraps $2.2 bln deal to merge with Simon & Schuster
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Penguin Random House, the world's largest book publisher, and rival Simon & Schuster have scrapped a $2.2 billion deal to merge, Penguin owner Bertelsmann (BTGGg.F) said in a statement. But Bertelsmann said in a statement on Monday that it "will advance the growth of its global book publishing business without the previously planned merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster." Paramount said on Monday that Simon & Schuster was a "non-core asset" to Paramount. Penguin writers include cookbook author Ina Garten and novelists Zadie Smith and Danielle Steele, while Simon & Schuster publishes Stephen King, Jennifer Weiner and Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others. The top five publishers are Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette, with Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) also in the market.

☆ Lufthansa still interested in buying into ITA Airways
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) is still interested in buying into state-controlled Italian carrier ITA Airways, a spokesman said on Friday, despite reports that its original partner in the mooted deal had pulled out. The spokesman declined to comment on reports that it had entered ITA's so-called data room to review the financial status of the company. Italy in August picked a group led by U.S. private equity fund Certares, backed by Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), for exclusive talks on buying a majority stake in ITA Airways. Complicating the situation, a senior MSC executive, Pierfrancesco Vago, told investors in Doha last week that MSC was no longer interested in ITA Airways, according to Swiss magazine Travel Inside. Certares had no contact with ITA Airways and Italy's Treasury since the end of October, a source close to the matter said.

☆ Prosiebensat.1 weighs deal to buy SKY TV operations in Germany - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Andreas Rinke | Christina Amann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN/MILAN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - German media group Prosiebensat.1 (PSMGn.DE) is exploring a potential deal to buy SKY pay-TV operations in Germany, two sources close to the matter said on Wednesday. Prosiebensat.1 declined to comment. Comcast (CMCSA.O), which bought Sky Deutschland as part of a buyout of pay-TV broadcaster Sky in 2018, did not immediately respond to request for comment. Reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan, Klaus Lauer in Berlin, editing Federico MaccioniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ProSiebenSat.1 interested in Sky TV operations in Germany - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Andreas Rinke | Miranda Murray | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN/MILAN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - German media group ProSiebenSat.1 (PSMGn.DE) is exploring a potential deal to buy into Sky's pay-TV operations in Germany, two sources close to the matter said on Wednesday. Comcast (CMCSA.O), which acquired Sky Deutschland as part of a $40 billion buyout of European pay-TV broadcaster Sky in 2018, did not immediately respond to request for comment. Comcast is working with advisory firm PJT Partners as it is weighing a disposal of the German business, the sources said. One of the sources said there were limited synergies between the two businesses, given that ProSiebenSat.1's TV business was driven by advertising. European broadcasters are struggling to find ways to tackle increasing challenges as the continental landscape is increasing dominated by U.S. streaming giants.

☆ Eurowings pilots begin strike over workload
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Pilots at Lufthansa's (LHAG.DE) Eurowings began a three-day strike on Monday over working hours, their union said, confirming action that could affect thousands of the budget airline's passengers. And so far there is no new offer," sais a spokesperson for the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union. The union wants the carrier to ease pilot workloads through measures such as increased rest periods, but Eurowings warned over the weekend that the demands put jobs at risk. It expects to cancel a similar number of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday. The walkout is due to end at 11.59 pm local time (2159 GMT) on Wednesday.

☆ Tens of thousands of passengers affected by first day of Eurowings strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Pilots at Lufthansa's (LHAG.DE) Eurowings began a three-day strike over working hours, their union said, affecting tens of thousands of the budget airline's passengers on Monday. And so far there is no new offer," said a spokesperson for the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA view of a time table showing cancelled flights as Eurowings pilots go on a three-day strike, in Cologne, Germany, October, 17, 2022. REUTERS/Thilo SchmuelgenThe airline said about 240 out of 488 flights have been cancelled at airports in Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart, affecting about 25,000 passengers on the strike's first day. Eurowings pilots had held a one-day strike for improved working conditions at the start of October, affecting about 30,000 passengers and the cancellation of about 250 flights.

☆ Ryanair CEO predicts higher fares on 'surprisingly strong' bookings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Klaus Lauer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Ryanair sees mid to high single-digit fare growthO'Leary says travel demand supported by high savingsBERLIN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Ryanair's (RYA.I) bookings for the autumn mid-term and Christmas holidays are ahead of pre-COVID levels and it sees average fares rising by more than expected for the financial year to end-March, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Thursday. "At the moment they (bookings) are surprisingly strong, we thought they would begin to ease off but actually forward bookings into the mid-term and into Christmas are stronger in terms of volume and pricing than they were pre-COVID," O'Leary said in an interview. "But so far everything seems to indicate that people are switching to the lowest cost airline and in all markets that's Ryanair," he said. It expects to fly 166.5 million passengers in the year to the end of March, significantly ahead of its previous annual record of 149 million reached before the pandemic brought the travel industry to a standstill. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ German economic institutes see 2023 contraction as gas crisis hits
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Four leading German economic institutes have almost halved their spring economic growth forecast for Europe's largest economy this year and slashed their 2023 projection to -0.4% from 3.1%, they said on Thursday. The four institutes now expect 1.4% growth this year, down from 2.7% seen in the spring. "The crisis on the gas markets is having a severe impact on the German economy," said the four institutes - Munich-based Ifo, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) and the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research (RWI). "Soaring gas prices are drastically increasing energy costs, leading to a massive reduction of the purchasing power," they added in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Klaus Lauer and Paul Carrel, Editing by Miranda MurrayOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ German inflation at highest level in over 25 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Full shelves with groceries are pictured in a supermarket during the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Berlin, Germany, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschSummary EU-harmonized inflation at 10.9%Energy costs up 43.9% year-on-yearAnalyst: ECB must act quickly, vigorouslyBERLIN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - German inflation was at its highest in more than a quarter of a century in September, driven by high energy prices, data showed, as analysts warned that the energy crisis has yet to make itself fully felt. Consumer prices, harmonised to make them comparable with inflation data from other European Union countries (HICP), increased by 10.9% on the year, the federal statistics office said. That was the highest reading since comparable data going back to 1996. Dwindling gas supplies from Russia have pushed energy prices, and correspondingly inflation, to highs not seen in decades, with the massive loss in consumer purchasing power adding to the likelihood that a recession is on the way.

☆ Ukraine refugees push German population to all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A soldier leads people during the "Schneller Adler" or "Fast Eagle" exercise of evacuation of refugees at an airport in Barth, North Germany May 5, 2022. Germany recorded net immigration of 750,000 people from Ukraine over the same period. In 1992, refugees from the war in former Yugoslavia helped swell the population by 700,000. In 2015, Germany let in almost a million refugees from war in the Middle East. Germany's female population grew by 1.2%, significantly more than its male population, which increased by 0.8%, reflecting the fact that mainly women and children fled the war in Ukraine.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Initial offers for RTL's 48% stake in French TV channel M6 are expected by Friday after a failed tie-up with France's TF1 broadcaster, a person familiar with the matter said. RTL has been "inundated" with expressions of interest in the M6 stake since TF1 and M6 called off their planned merger last week, its boss Thomas Rabe told the Financial Times on Thursday. Other potential buyers include French media group Vivendi (VIV.PA) and Altice, owned by billionaire Patrick Drahi, alongside Italian media conglomerate MediaForEurope (MFE), Reuters reported on Monday. If RTL wants to sell M6, a deal must be completed by spring 2023, because M6's broadcasting license comes up for renewal in May. In March 2021, when Bertelsmann confirmed talks to sell its stake, French media reported the RTL's stake was worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.48 billion), valuing all of M6 at around 3 billion euros.

PARIS/MILAN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The collapse of a deal to form a French TV giant to challenge U.S. streaming services such as Netflix (NFLX.O) knocked shares in M6 Group (MMTP.PA) and TF1 (TFFP.PA) on Monday. France's two biggest private broadcasters gave up their merger plan on Friday citing French antitrust requirements that rendered the deal unworkable. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"It is extremely disappointing, it shows the incapacity in France of pushing a unifying project to create a French media champion," said Mikael Jacoby, head of continental trading at Oddo Securities. At 1424 GMT, TF1 shares were down 3.3% and shares in M6 were 3% lower. "Hedge funds don't want exposure to the advertising sector, people are very worried about next year," a merger arbitrage analyst said.

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