Relief for Passengers ! Lufthansa narrowly avoided a second round of pilot strikes , after a Better Pay Offer !

Lufthansa has managed to avoid an incoming pilot strike after raising its pay offer, a step that will now avoid flight cancellations , and a definite relief for the passengers .

The VC pilots union spokesman has stated that the union has decided to call off the planned two-day strike , that was going to happen after midnight , only after Lufthansa came out with an improved offer. 

The proposed strike would have been the second strike in a week after pilots staged a walkout on Friday that led to hundreds of flights being cancelled.

• The Vereinigung Cockpit union has called for a 5.5 per cent raise for its members this year and an inflation-busting 8.2 per cent increase in 2023.
• A union representing pilots announced plans for a walkout on Wednesday and Thursday, while calling on the company to makes a serious offer in talks over pay increases.

The pilots' first strike brought almost all Lufthansa flight operations to a halt . Around 130,000 travelers were affected by the cancellation of more than 800 flights. As per Lufthansa , the strike cost it  €32 million.

Late last month, the union - which represents about 9,600 members - voted overwhelmingly in favour of walkouts. Lufthansa’s pilots are demanding wage increases to help offset the near double-digit increase in consumer prices. A walkout by ground crew caused the carrier to scrap hundreds of flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs just last week. 

Vereinigung Cockpit had released the statement ,

In the strike ballot that ended today, Lufthansa pilots voted clearly in favor of continuing along the current collective bargaining path. With a turnout of 93.2% (DLH) and 95.7% (Lufthansa Cargo), 97.6% (DLH) and 99.3% (Lufthansa Cargo) voted in favor of supporting the collective bargaining commission. The required quorum was thus clearly exceeded.

Lufthansa's view was, VC's demands would increase staff costs in the cockpit by 40%, describing the increase as "unreasonable," as it doesn't take into account the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Not a secret anymore ! European air travel recovery has been disaster, aviation industry has been severely affected by the chaotic operations in recent months , mostly because of a lack of staffs in the Airport and Tarmac , from security to baggage handling.

Earlier , Lufthansa had instead offered a one-off increase of 900 euros, amounting to a 5 per cent increase for senior pilots and an 18 per cent increase for those starting the profession.

Air travel demand has surprised everybody , as vacation deprived masses overwhelm the Airports after being stuck in lockdowns for almost two years. Not to forget , Lockdowns also pushed carriers like Lufthansa to the brink of bankruptcy in 2020 and left it paralysed with billions of euros in debt.

During the pandemic, Lufthansa was granted a €9 billion ($8.9 billion) bailout by the German government as it narrowly avoided bankruptcy . However, it was able to pay back the bailout at the end of 2021.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr is putting all the efforts to boost the carrier’s earnings margin to a minimum of 8% by 2024. Similar Disputes with workers ,Unions and concessions over pay is an indicator, Spohr already facing troubles reaching the desired push to cut costs.