A wider than predicted strike of airport workers caused chaos in the air travel system in Germany on Sunday March 9. The workers represented by the trade union Verdi, were concerned about pay. The strike started prior to the predicted date catching many off guard.
The Hamburg airport was impacted first but the strike quickly spread. Hundreds of flights were cancelled affecting more than 40,000 passengers but those numbers rose and possibly impacting 500,000. The workers striking hold jobs in areas such as passenger services and cargo and good screening.
Spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, Katja Bromm, said Verdi was “dishonourable” to call a strike without notice at the beginning of the holiday season. All 143 departures scheduled on Monday had already been cancelled and said that Sunday’s walkouts were “excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travelers who have nothing to do with the disputes.”