DDeutsche Lufthansa AG is preparing another wave of flight cancellations. Reason is lack of staff. Aviation experts estimate that the sometimes chaotic conditions in Europe at the beginning of the summer holiday season will be made even worse.
Europe’s largest airline will cancel around a fifth of departures on some days in Frankfurt and Munich next week, a company spokesman said. The aim is to offer a stable flight plan. The exact number of flights has not yet been determined, according to the airline.
Lufthansa canceled a total of 3,100 flights last month after a wave of coronavirus infections exacerbated already existing staff shortages. Unions had argued that reduced wages and unattractive working conditions would deter job seekers. Supervisory Board Chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley admitted that the current problems are the worst he has seen in his entire career.
In a bid to thin out schedules and improve service again, the airline announced last week that it would only offer seats in its most expensive booking class for July. This increased the price even for the cheapest return flights between London and Frankfurt to 1000 euros.
