As a result of a planned strike by Frankfurt airport staff from 02:00 to 20:00 (local time) on 15 January 2019, passengers booked on flights to and from Frankfurt are advised to seek alternative travel arrangements as cancellations or severe delays are quite possible.
In a statement on Lufthansa’s website it said: “The trade union Verdi has called for a comprehensive strike by security personnel at Frankfurt Airport between 2 a.m. and 20 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 January 2019. As a result, a considerable amount of disruptions are to be expected regarding flight operations to and from Frankfurt Airport. More detailed information for Lufthansa passengers is available at www.lufthansa.com. Passengers with a Lufthansa flight departing from Frankfurt can immediately change their flights free of charge to a date between 11 and 20 January, 2019. Lufthansa will publish flight cancellations on its website on Sunday afternoon. From this date on, online rebooking will be also possible. Passengers who have entered their contact data online will be actively informed about their flight status.
Passengers who are planning to start their journey from Frankfurt Airport on this coming Tuesday should take particular note of the situation. According to the airport operator, the security checks outside the transit area will not be staffed. Therefore, passengers who are supposed to begin their journey in Frankfurt will not be able to reach their flight during the entire strike period as they will not be able to go through a security check. Lufthansa is therefore asking these guests not to go to the airport during that time, but instead to use rebooking options online at www.lufthansa.com or the Lufthansa App to rebook their flights accordingly. This explicitly does not apply to transit passengers changing flights at Frankfurt Airport, but only those who are starting their journey there.
“Although all aviation partners agreed that we want to improve the situation for our passengers in 2019, the Verdi union is escalating this collective bargaining dispute disproportionately and to an unacceptable extent. This series of strikes can certainly no longer be described as warning strikes. It is also clear that Verdi has no interest in making its contribution to improving Germany as an aviation location. We already have the lowest quality security checks at the highest costs, compared to Europe and other countries around the world,” says Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG for Airline Resources & Operations Standards.
In a statement Qatar Airways said that flights likely to be affected by the strike are:
QR 0067 from Doha to Frankfurt on 15 January 2019, departing at 08:05
QR 0070 from Frankfurt to Doha on 15 January 2019, departing at 10:35
QR 0068 from Frankfurt to Doha on 15 January 2019, departing at 15:35
The airline added that efforts will be made to inform affected customers on their flight status.
Customers who are in transit in Frankfurt should not be affected. Customers with flight connections at Frankfurt are likely to be affected by longer waiting times at airport service counters.
For customers who are travelling to and from Frankfurt between 14 and 15 January 2019 and wish to change their travel dates, please contact your nearest Qatar Airways ticket office.
Affected passengers are requested to:
Up-date their current contact details on the Manage Booking tab on the Qatar Airways homepage https://www.qatarairways.com/en-qa/homepage.html
If the flight booking was made through a travel agent, please contact the agent to make alternative arrangements
Check flight details on the Flight Status tab on the Qatar Airways homepage https://www.qatarairways.com/en-qa/homepage.html
If you have difficulty managing your booking, for assistance please contact our Customer Care line on: +974 4010 8932 or +974 4010 8938
If overseas, contact your nearest Qatar Airways office https://www.qatarairways.com/en-qa/worldwide-offices.html
Email us on NDU@qatarairways.com.qa
Tweet or DM us at @qrsupport https://twitter.com/qrsupport