Air traffic: Tens of thousands of passengers must remain on the ground

Frankfurt –

Ryanair customers should take seriously the announcement of the CEO Michael O 'Leary. He was more willing to bear the consequences of the strikes than to get involved with the unions to demand a compromise on the business model of his company. He therefore formulated it in February. Meanwhile, the cheap airline of Europe is hit by strikes. The pilots will leave on Friday in the country of origin of the airline. 24 flights between Ireland and the United Kingdom must be canceled.

German pbadengers are likely to be affected only in small numbers. But it could be really heavy next week. Tuesday, the Irish drivers want to resign from work. On Wednesdays and Thursdays – during the holiday season – a two-day flight will follow in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Ryanair said that about 600 out of 2400 flights are to be canceled. About 100,000 pbadengers are affected overall, says the company. This is by far the biggest strike in Ryanair's history.

The extent to which connections to and from Germany are affected is not clear at this time. A spokesman for the company did not want to give details. "We do not disclose this information about markets or airports," he said. Ryanair wants to inform its customers by email and SMS. Pbadengers would be offered a new booking and refund of ticket prices. This will also affect local tourists and business travelers, as a machine flying to Spain on Wednesday morning, for example, could theoretically stay two days due to striking flight attendants, even though they must actually fly to Germany.

Chief Kenny Jacobs declared the strikes unjustified. They would only use the competitor and disrupt family vacations. And he pointed out that flight attendants earned up to 40,000 euros a year, a maximum of about 3300 euros gross per month. This is not enough for the syndicated cabin crew. In addition to wage increases, they also want to impose better working conditions. That's what Ryanair drivers are aiming for in several countries. With annual salaries between 30,000 and 90,000 euros, they are down the scale in Europe for their profession. Even the main cheap competitor, Easyjet, pays a lot more with 50,000 to 130,000 euros, not counting the badpit crews who work with network operators such as Lufthansa or Air France – there are no more 200,000 euros per inhabitant scarcity. With Ryanair, it is added that a large part of the cabin and flight deck employees are not employed directly by the Irish airline, but must be considered as fictitious self-employed and temporary workers.

It is already clear that the case of strikes next week will not be over. In this country, Ryanair pilots, who organized themselves in the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), vote for an indefinite strike by the end of the month. The frustration should be great, they say in union circles. It is very likely that a large majority is opposed to a labor dispute. Negotiations are also underway for the local cabin crew. After long trips back and forth, Ryanair also recognized the Verdi trade union as a trading partner. In addition, management deals with the Independent Organization of Flight Attendants (UFOs).

Active in 37 countries

In other European countries, the situation is comparable. When and how many conflicts can be solved is completely open. Ryanair is active in a total of 37 countries. And each country has different labor rights and social norms. Management is completely overwhelmed by the variety of regulations, it is said in the industry. Even so, the conversations would have barely moved.