Lufthansa Strike Threat 8/23/12

[critterchick]

I asked my stepmother, who subscribes to some online German newspapers, to see if she can find anything, since it's bigger news in Germany than in the U.S. so far, all she has seen is a small article that management wants to have further talks on Friday. The new salary offer is due today, so we shall see if there is any news tonight...

 

And thank you, Ducklite and Flyertalk, for your advice.

 

Sorry, FlyertalkER. :o

[FlyerTalker]

Call me anything, just don't call me late for dinner.

[pkt1976]

I'm nervously watching this too. I've never flown on any carrier except southwest and never out of the U.S. All of my flights there are back are on US Air except the last one which is Frankfurt to Venice.

[First Time 2008]

I'm nervously watching this too. I've never flown on any carrier except southwest and never out of the U.S. All of my flights there are back are on US Air except the last one which is Frankfurt to Venice.

 

Then stop worrying. If it comes down to it, you can always take the train from Frankfurt to Venice. 10-11 hours, 160 euros at the last minute. No need to worry over something that has a simple solution.

 

Just tell me... you are not planning on arriving in Venice the day of your cruise, are you?

[sos1720]

Strike delayed until next week. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/german-labor-union-no-immediate-lufthansa-strike-2012-08-23

[pkt1976]

Then stop worrying. If it comes down to it, you can always take the train from Frankfurt to Venice. 10-11 hours, 160 euros at the last minute. No need to worry over something that has a simple solution.

 

Just tell me... you are not planning on arriving in Venice the day of your cruise, are you?

 

No I am not arriving the day it sails but 11 hours on a train and $200 isn't really a simple solution for me for a number of reasons. I called the booking company and they said if there is a strike I can call them and they will re book me which is great. The update says no strike planned for the next 5 days and a decision will be made next Tuesday after I leave.

[ducklite]

No I am not arriving the day it sails but 11 hours on a train and $200 isn't really a simple solution for me for a number of reasons. I called the booking company and they said if there is a strike I can call them and they will re book me which is great. The update says no strike planned for the next 5 days and a decision will be made next Tuesday after I leave.

 

FYI--They will rebook you but it might not be under favorable conditions. They won't displace others to rebook people affected by a strike or any other type of cancellation, and there is a pecking order" for who gets the available seats. It starts with full fare passengers and the top tier of frequent flyers and goes to the bottom with is the deeply discounted/bulk/consolidator fares. Bottom line, if there isn't a seat they can't just create one and you could end up waiting (at your expense) in Europe for a number of days before one became available.

[pkt1976]

FYI--They will rebook you but it might not be under favorable conditions. They won't displace others to rebook people affected by a strike or any other type of cancellation, and there is a pecking order" for who gets the available seats. It starts with full fare passengers and the top tier of frequent flyers and goes to the bottom with is the deeply discounted/bulk/consolidator fares. Bottom line, if there isn't a seat they can't just create one and you could end up waiting (at your expense) in Europe for a number of days before one became available.

 

Thank you for the helpful information. I appreciate your insight :D That's just lovely. I guess worst case is to take the train to Venice. I will make sure to take info with me so I know how to catch the train. Hopefully, the strike will not happen at all. I will be in the air on the way to Frankfurt at the time of the current deadline. Actually I just realized that my flight is 3 hours after the "deadline" so I don't think that it is likely my flight would be affected. I hope the strike can be totally averted though.

[ducklite]

If they strike it will likely be immediately after the deadline, so I would have an alternate plan.

[critterchick]

Strike delayed until next week. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/german-labor-union-no-immediate-lufthansa-strike-2012-08-23

 

<groan>

 

Guess it's time for a back-up ticket, since we are schedule to depart on Thursday.

[pkt1976]

I have some good news and I thought I would share the info.

 

I just called travel guard and my trip insurance will cover alternate means of transportation if they do strike. If you think you will be affected, I would call and check with your insurance company to be sure you are covered. If you don't have travel insurance, call travel guard or another company and get a policy so you are covered.

 

They also gave me a 24 hour number I can call collect if the flight is cancelled. They will not only start my claim for me (up to the amount the trip is insured for), they will also help me find another flight if necessary. I feel MUCH better now. :D

 

I just saw the last post- The cheapest "back up" ticket I found was ryanair. I'm comfortable with the trip insurance policy so I will stick with that though. Hopefully there will be no strike! I hope you have a great trip critterchick.

[critterchick]

I have some good news and I thought I would share the info.

 

I just called travel guard and my trip insurance will cover alternate means of transportation if they do strike. If you think you will be affected, I would call and check with your insurance company to be sure you are covered. If you don't have travel insurance, call travel guard or another company and get a policy so you are covered.

 

They also gave me a 24 hour number I can call collect if the flight is cancelled. They will not only start my claim for me (up to the amount the trip is insured for), they will also help me find another flight if necessary. I feel MUCH better now. :D

 

I just saw the last post- The cheapest "back up" ticket I found was ryanair. I'm comfortable with the trip insurance policy so I will stick with that though. Hopefully there will be no strike! I hope you have a great trip critterchick.

 

I do have insurance, thankfully and have been told that this strike is covered, if it happens. But only $500pp for a change in air. We are flying business class from LAX on points. The least expensive refundable fare, by several thousand dollars, is on Choice Air, since it's a one way. What a pickle!:eek:

 

I suspect that anybody buying insurance today might not be covered, since the strike is already anticipated.

 

You have a great trip, too, and remember that there are far worse things in life than being stranded in Europe.

[6rugrats]

I suspect that anybody buying insurance today might not be covered, since the strike is already anticipated.

No, most insurance companies will allow you to purchase coverage until the day labor union members have actually voted to approve a strike. For example, you still may purchase insurance through Travelguard for LH flights.

[critterchick]

No, most insurance companies will allow you to purchase coverage until the day labor union members have actually voted to approve a strike. For example, you still may purchase insurance through Travelguard for LH flights.

 

I believe that the Reuters article said that the union has already authorized its leadership to strike. It didn't look as if they needed a second vote.

[Cruise Junky]

I believe that the Reuters article said that the union has already authorized its leadership to strike. It didn't look as if they needed a second vote.

 

That's the impression I got too. I'm trying not to freak out. We fly next Friday. I looked up what Lufthansa did during the Pilot Strike earlier this year. They seemed pretty good. I was surprised that the Vancouver - Frankfurt flights were the only Canadian flights to still run all days, which gives me some hope. As someone pointed out, there are lots of Star Alliance Partners that they could switch you too and they did during their last strike. If you get to Frankfurt, they were also giving train tickets for cancelled inter Europe flights and covering hotels.

 

I'm hoping we at least get to Frankfurt if they do go out and from there we can drive, train, or other cheap flight and meet the ship somewhere. We fly 3 days before the ship leaves.

 

Also, they're flight attendants, they're a lot easier to replace with management than Pilots so even if they do go out, I don't think they'll be as many flights cancelled as there was with the pilots strike.

[First Time 2008]

I just saw the last post- The cheapest "back up" ticket I found was ryanair. I'm comfortable with the trip insurance policy so I will stick with that though. Hopefully there will be no strike! I hope you have a great trip critterchick.

 

I very much doubt that RyanAir is the cheapest backup plan. They are likely a very expensive one. The flight fare may be cheap, but all the ancillary fees and third party costs will make it rather expensive.

 

• They do not fly from Frankfurt-Main airport (FRA, your airport). They fly from Frankfurt-Hahn airport (HHN). The two airports are quite far apart, to the point that HHN might be more aptly called Luxembourg East Airport. To get from FRA to HHN you are looking at a 1h45m bus ride at a cost of 14€. link
  
• RyanAir does not fly into the Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), which is only a few minutes from Venice and where Lufthansa flies. RyanAir flies into Treviso Airport (TSF). Like Frankfurt-Hahn, it's a stretch to call TSF a Venice Airport. Again, to get to Venice you are looking at another one hour by bus. Link. You will be wise to know that the only RyanAir flight for the day arrives at 10:05 pm (if on time), and the last bus to Venice leaves at 10:20 pm. Try not to miss the bus.
  
• RyanAir's last minute tickets are not exactly cheap. If you buy today a ticket for next week it is indeed 61€. But if you buy for tomorrow they want 164€. That's for the ticket only, baggage and other fees not included. Read on.
  
• RyanAir charges a lot for baggage. Cruisers typically carry a lot of baggage. A 50 lb bag is typical for a cruiser. On RyanAir, to check a 50 lb bag at the airport will cost you 165€. Yes, that's right, 165 euros for one bag. No first bag free. Carry-on baggage is also strictly enforced to one piece, and one piece only (not one piece + plus handbag + camera) of up to 10 kg (22 lbs), so no chance of trying to carry on the kitchen sink for free.
  
• RyanAir charges many fees in addition to the fare. For example, they charge a 6€ admin fee for ticketing (and you can't escape). 60€ to print a boarding pass at the airport (and you can't escape unless you have access to a printer in Germany). 20€ to book by phone (in addition to the per minute feel to call them on their 900 number), which you can only avoid if you book online, but then again getting an internet connection in Germany is going to cost you something. And good luck finding a phone that will dial their German 900 number. Your US cell phone won't, and I doubt that German payphones will. And you can not book at the ticket counter at the airport, you must call or book through their website.
  

 

Still like RyanAir's cheap backup ticket?

 

While RyanAir may be the cheapest "back up" ticket if strictly speaking of ticket only, they most likely are by no means the cheapest way of getting from FRA to Venice, and they certainly are not convenient due to their airport locations and other hassles.

[pkt1976]

That's the impression I got too. I'm trying not to freak out. We fly next Friday.

 

I bulked up my bank accounts just in case I have to buy new tickets and will take it as it comes and know I'll get there eventually :) I hope that there is no strike and your transportation is uneventful and that you have an amazing cruise.

[critterchick]

I bulked up my bank accounts just in case I have to buy new tickets and will take it as it comes and know I'll get there eventually :) I hope that there is no strike and your transportation is uneventful and that you have an amazing cruise.

 

And you as well.

[kenish]

I bulked up my bank accounts just in case I have to buy new tickets and will take it as it comes and know I'll get there eventually :) I hope that there is no strike and your transportation is uneventful and that you have an amazing cruise.

 

Good move. If possible an even better move is to go ahead and buy a fully refundable ticket to protect against a strike or your flight going amok for other reasons. If a strike happens there will be a rush to alternate flights, so best to secure a seat now.

[First Time 2008]

Good move. If possible an even better move is to go ahead and buy a fully refundable ticket to protect against a strike or your flight going amok for other reasons. If a strike happens there will be a rush to alternate flights, so best to secure a seat now.

 

And buy that from who exactly? Only Lufthansa flies the FRA-VCE route nonstop. RyanAir flies HHN-TSF, but they do not sell refundable tickets. Any other airline would require a connection, and I am not too sure that a connection would end up being all that much faster than the train.

 

In any case, a fully refundable ticket is going to cost upwards of 500€ per person anyway, and that is quite a chunk of change to put down for a contingency. Further, because that refundable ticket would be bought in euros (and converted to USD by the credit card company, presumably taking their typical 3% fee), the full refund would come back in euros (at whatever the exchange rate is when the refund comes back) and again the CC company might take another fee. The OP would be exposed to spending these bank fees plus risk of currency fluctuation. Most likely that full refund in euros would not result in a net full refund in dollars.

[critterchick]

Nevermind...

[midwestchick]

And buy that from who exactly? Only Lufthansa flies the FRA-VCE route nonstop. RyanAir flies HHN-TSF, but they do not sell refundable tickets. Any other airline would require a connection, and I am not too sure that a connection would end up being all that much faster than the train.

 

In any case, a fully refundable ticket is going to cost upwards of 500€ per person anyway, and that is quite a chunk of change to put down for a contingency. Further, because that refundable ticket would be bought in euros (and converted to USD by the credit card company, presumably taking their typical 3% fee), the full refund would come back in euros (at whatever the exchange rate is when the refund comes back) and again the CC company might take another fee. The OP would be exposed to spending these bank fees plus risk of currency fluctuation. Most likely that full refund in euros would not result in a net full refund in dollars.

 

For the heck of it, I was checking flights from Rome to Chicago on Sept. 12 in case they are on strike....$500 Euro is cheap compared to the rates I was coming up with...outrageous. :eek:

At this point there is nothing I can do...it's in my TA's hands. Thank goodness we purchased the travel insurance...at least, IF it happens hotels, etc. will be covered under our policy. I have all the contact information printed up. Let's pray the strike does not happen, although it certainly sounds like it will. :(

[Cruise Junky]

For the heck of it, I was checking flights from Rome to Chicago on Sept. 12 in case they are on strike....$500 Euro is cheap compared to the rates I was coming up with...outrageous. :eek:

At this point there is nothing I can do...it's in my TA's hands. Thank goodness we purchased the travel insurance...at least, IF it happens hotels, etc. will be covered under our policy. I have all the contact information printed up. Let's pray the strike does not happen, although it certainly sounds like it will. :(

 

Did you double check it covers strikes? I checked a few policies and unfortunately they didn't. Keep in mind though, the 500 Euro totally refundable ticket mentioned above was only from Frankfurt to Venice. Not from the US.

[abredt]

What insurance company covers strike?

 

We have Allianz.

 

cb

[midwestchick]

What insurance company covers strike?

 

We have Allianz.

 

cb

 

@ Travel Junky....yes it does cover strikes. As soon as I was aware of the impending strike, I called my TA. He then called Azamara and the ins. co.

I believe the max. payout for flights is $750 pp. It's better than nothing and I doubt that will completely cover two flights from Rome.

We have Travel Guard...more reasonable than the ins. offered through Azamara. I have friends who used it and loved it....never had a problem getting a claim paid.