On the morning of February 7, a preventive strike by the Lufthansa airline's ground staff started, initiated by the German trade union of service workers, Verdi. The strike began at 04:00 local time and will continue for 27 hours. It will affect the airports of Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf.
Due to the strike, Lufthansa has canceled 80–90% of the 1,000 flights scheduled for Wednesday. The airline also announced that more than 100,000 passengers would be affected by the strike. Verdi demands a 12.5% (but not less than €500 a month) pay rise for 25,000 airport workers who monitor passengers, baggage, and staff. In addition, the union seeks to pay workers a one-off bonus of €3,000 to compensate for inflation.
