Pilots and cabin crew employed by Lufthansa’s leisure-based subsidiary airline Discover Airlines have begun four days of strike action, affecting flights out of its main operating bases at Frankfurt and Munich airports. Starting on August 27, 2024, the industrial action being taken by the carrier’s pilots and cabin crew is scheduled to last until Friday, August 30, 2024, with widespread disruption across the airline’s schedules expected as a result. 

The cabin crew and pilots planning to strike are represented by the trade unions Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO) and Vereinigung Cockpit (VC). At UFO, almost 92% of its members voted in favor of industrial action, while at VC, 81% of members elected to strike in support of an improved pay deal.  

The call for industrial action made by VC and UFO comes after ver.di, Germany’s largest trade union and a competitor to both VC and UFO struck a deal on behalf of its members with Lufthansa at the beginning of August 2024. However, VC and UFO have both said that the ver.di deal is insufficient for their own members. Among other amendments to employee terms, ver.di secured a 5% pay rise. UFO is demanding 8.5% for its own members as part of any settlement deal.  

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