Hundreds of passengers stranded after Lufthansa pilots go on 4-day strike
Published: Feb 23, 2010 01:00 Updated: Feb 23, 2010 01:00
RIYADH: Over 750 passengers in the Kingdom have had their travel plans disrupted due to pilots at Germany’s Lufthansa Airline launching a four-day strike on Monday.
Hundreds of flights to destinations across the world — including those to and from the Kingdom — have been cancelled due to the strike. “Many air travelers from Saudi Arabia have changed their travel plans on account of the strike staged by the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) from Feb. 22 to 25,” said Stefan Loecherbach, Lufthansa’s sales director for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen.
He said Lufthansa had been expecting disturbances to its flight operations on the Saudi-German sector, adding that the airline has organized flights “on our associate airlines.” Many passengers have been given flights on BMI and Turkish Airline, said the Lufthansa sales chief, adding that Lufthansa passengers are being given full refunds if they choose not to fly during the strike period or if their flights are canceled.
“Many passengers have cancelled their travel plans and are seeking refunds,” said M. Siddiqui, a technical manager, who was booked on a Lufthansa flight. “In my case, I have postponed my travel until next week,” he added. Loecherbach, who assured full assistance to all passengers, said that Lufthansa and its subsidiary Swiss Air would offer unsurpassed flexibility to travelers from the Kingdom and Bahrain to Europe and beyond. Lufthansa flies daily to its Frankfurt hub from Riyadh and Jeddah, while Swiss Air connects the two Saudi cities to its hub in Zurich with four flights a week. Lufthansa recently enhanced its Bahrain to Frankfurt service to one flight a day. Dammam is served with three nonstop flights a week to Frankfurt. Loecherbach expressed regrets for any inconvenience caused by possible strike action. “If you have booked a Lufthansa flight between Feb. 22 and 25, but prefer to change your travel plans, Lufthansa offers one free of charge rebooking to another Lufthansa flight before March 31 under the condition that origin and destination remain unchanged,” said the Lufthansa sales chief.
Loecherbach pointed out that the canceled flights from Riyadh to Frankfurt include flights on Feb. 23, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25, while those operating from Jeddah on Feb. 23 and Feb 26 have been cancelled. On the return leg, flights originating from Frankfurt for Riyadh on Feb. 22, Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 have been canceled, while flights from Frankfurt to Jeddah on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25 will not operate. “Further as of now flights from and to Dammam and Bahrain will operate normally and are not affected by the strike,” said the Lufthansa executive.
He pointed out that two-thirds of the Lufthansa flights affected by the strike have been cancelled as a pre-emptive measure. “We are trying to book our passengers on our partner airlines including Turkish Airline,” said the Lufthansa executive, adding that the airline will resume normal operation on Feb. 26 with the first flight leaving Riyadh the same day. Around 800 flights a day will be grounded during the four-day strike period.
