Lufthansa on strike!

[merryecho]

Those of you traveling to the Regatta in Stockholm tomorrow on Lufthansa ( or anyone else traveling Lufthansa) should keep an eye on your flights. Lufthansa employees just voted to strike starting at midnight tonight, concentrating on Frankfurt and Hamburg. It will involve employees from cabin crew, to baggage handlers and catering. If our flight does go through, you can be sure I will be carrying on my luggage, so fellow Regatta shipmates, be ready to see the same outfit repeatedly!

[suzieque]

Uh oh... We are flying San Francisco to Barcelona on United Aug.2nd (next Saturday) with a flight change to Lufthansa for the Frankfurt to barcelona leg. How do I find out if this is going to be affected bu the strike?

Help!!!

Suzie

[debsjc]

It's probably too early to say. If you booked through a travel agent you could ask them if there is a fee to change the final sector to Iberia instead of LH.

 

The new report says the strike is indefinite, but usually these things are resolved in a few days

 

The bbc website is a good one to keep at eye on for any updates

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7527589.stm

[merryecho]

According to Lufthansa's website, they have established a hotline to help with information about flights affected by the strike- 800-8506070 in the US. Hopefully they will be their usual efficient selves and make any changes in a customer friendly way.

[WaterView2]

News reports now state that some long distance flights between Germany and the USA are being cancelled. Earlier, it was intra-European flights. Make sure you check your travel plans if you are booked on Lufthansa this week. We used their flights recently and they were very nice, it's too bad they are on strike now.

[wine lover]

We booked our cruise and flights with Oceania (Baltic Sea, July 2-16/08) and there was a strike that affected our flight to Stockholm. Luftansa staff, while very kind, could or would not book us on another flight.

 

I called Oceania expecting their assistance as the flights were booked by them and we were looking at losing a day of our trip (which we valued at $1,000). Oceania staff told us we were on our own and to let them know when we expected to arrive in Stockholm so they could arrange our transfer to the ship. They would not help us get to our destination on time. We were very disappointed in this lack of service.

 

We were left to our own devices and it was a miserable experience.

[LHT28]

We booked our cruise and flights with Oceania (Baltic Sea, July 2-16/08) and there was a strike that affected our flight to Stockholm. Luftansa staff, while very kind, could or would not book us on another flight.

 

 

We were left to our own devices and it was a miserable experience.

 

how did you get to the ship or did you miss the cruise?

[lovecruisingtoo]

We booked our cruise and flights with Oceania (Baltic Sea, July 2-16/08) and there was a strike that affected our flight to Stockholm. Luftansa staff, while very kind, could or would not book us on another flight.

 

I called Oceania expecting their assistance as the flights were booked by them and we were looking at losing a day of our trip (which we valued at $1,000). Oceania staff told us we were on our own and to let them know when we expected to arrive in Stockholm so they could arrange our transfer to the ship. They would not help us get to our destination on time. We were very disappointed in this lack of service.

 

We were left to our own devices and it was a miserable experience.

 

What was the strike that caused the delay? If the strike was not directly related to the airline, then I would not expect them to be too helpful.

[wine lover]

It was a Luftansa staff strike in Germany that caused the delay.

 

Instead of arriving in Stockholm at 11am we arrived at 8pm. We were so exhausted (we had been traveling- or should I say sitting around airports, standing in line etc.- for over 24 hours) that we just went straight to bed.

 

The ship was berthed for two days in Stockholm so, while we caught the ship before it left, we missed a day of planned sightseeing and some small perks scheduled for that first day for our cabin category.

 

After experiencing the high level of service on the two week Regatta cruise, we were even more disappointed in the way we were treated by Oceania while traveling. We assumed that booking the flight through the cruise line meant they were responsible for getting us there in time to enjoy the holiday for which we paid.

[LHT28]

It was a Luftansa staff strike in Germany that caused the delay.

 

Instead of arriving in Stockholm at 11am we arrived at 8pm. We were so exhausted (we had been traveling- or should I say sitting around airports, standing in line etc.- for over 24 hours) that we just went straight to bed.

 

 

How did you get to Stockholm in the end?

Did LH get you on a flight or did you have to pay for another airline ticket?

[csyoho]

We are currently scheduled to fly out business class on Aug 5th from Orlando to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Milan. Any suggestions or comments that might prove helpful? Did your luggage make it to your destination?

[wine lover]

lht28,

We did not pay for another airline ticket but waited and waited for our flight original flight and then, once in Frankfurt, for our new connecting flight. What should have been an 8 or 9 hour trip turned into a 24 hour trip.

 

At our originating airport, we called Oceania for help. After checking with his supervisor, the Oceania staff member we spoke to told us they would not help us. We would need to call Oceania from Frankfurt, whenever Luftansa managed to get us there, and let them know the time/flight # of our new connecting flight to Stockholm so that they could arrange for our transfer to the ship. I'm sure they could have kept track of us through Luftansa but they didn't. It was up to us to do all the leg work. When we arrived in Frankfurt it was a mad house because many flights had been delayed. We got in line with the rest of the masses to arrange for a new connecting flight. No one helped us or guided us to other Luftansa counters (of which there were many with little or no line-ups).

 

Once we had our new connecting flight # it took about an hour to find someone who could help us phone Oceania in the U.S. (you have to know the country code in order to make the phone call) to give them the information about our new flight.

 

While we were met at the Stockholm airport and the transfer and the rest of the cruise went smoothly, we still feel as though we lost the value of a day of our vacation ($1,000) and the way we were treated by Oceania getting to Stockholm is completely out of character with the way the cruise line treated us for the rest of the cruise.

[debsjc]

We are currently scheduled to fly out business class on Aug 5th from Orlando to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Milan. Any suggestions or comments that might prove helpful? Did your luggage make it to your destination?

 

 

It depends on the type of tickets you have. If they are full fare business tickets you would be able to get them refunded and rebook with another airline, or have them reissued for another airline.

 

If they are part of a fly/cruise package or discounted tickets that might not be possible. I would contact the travel agent you purchased them from, if you used a TA, and asked if they can be transferred.

 

Although LH might still operate, I think you would feel safer if you were rebooked with another airline, rather than having a problem on the day of travel.

[LHT28]

lht28,

We did not pay for another airline ticket but waited and waited for our flight original flight and then, once in Frankfurt, for our new connecting flight. What should have been an 8 or 9 hour trip turned into a 24 hour trip.

 

At our originating airport, we called Oceania for help. After checking with his supervisor, the Oceania staff member we spoke to told us they would not help us. We would need to call Oceania from Frankfurt, whenever Luftansa managed to get us there, and let them know the time/flight # of our new connecting flight to Stockholm so that they could arrange for our transfer to the ship. I'm sure they could have kept track of us through Luftansa but they didn't. It was up to us to do all the leg work. When we arrived in Frankfurt it was a mad house because many flights had been delayed. We got in line with the rest of the masses to arrange for a new connecting flight. No one helped us or guided us to other Luftansa counters (of which there were many with little or no line-ups).

 

I was looking at LH flights for next year but may have to look at other airlines.

Glad you got to the ship before sailing.

 

Not sure what Oceania could have done at that point to get you there any sooner since LH workers held a strike... seems it was LH that was the problem.

 

You may want to complain to LH that they were not very helpful in FRA

http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/ca/info_and_services/partner?l=en&nodeid=1795866&cid=1000204

http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/cmn/generalinfo?l=en&nodeid=2161511&cid=1000204

[LHT28]

We are currently scheduled to fly out business class on Aug 5th from Orlando to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Milan. Any suggestions or comments that might prove helpful? Did your luggage make it to your destination?

 

There is a notice on the LH website under the article "LH agree to pay settlement"

Looks like they may be back to normal by Aug 4th but check their website

 

http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/ca/homepage?l=en&cid=1000204

 

Lufthansa is offering a dedicated customer hotline for information regarding bookings affected by the strike: 0800–8506070 (toll free from the German landline and mobile). Customers calling from outside Germany are kindly requested to contact the local Lufthansa Service Center.

[suzieque]

If you go on the Lufthansa website there is a link to news about the German strike. You can then scroll down to see if your flight number is listed as still flying according to schedule. It only shows out to the 4th of Aug. I think. I am leaving tomorrow on United SFO to Frankfurt, connecting to Lufthansa to Barcelona on he 3rd. So far it is flying. I'll check again right now!

Suzie