by: Juergen T Steinmetz |
Strikes and disruption in Germany’s transport industry have no limits.
On Monday, the Verdi union managed to have the German railroad DB cancel all ICC long-distance trains. Also, many regional trains will work on a reduced schedule.
At the same time, departures and landings at the two largest international airports in Germany, Munich, and Frankfurt, and possibly most other airports in Germany.
The strike will include security and ground workers at all German airports except Berlin.
If this wasn’t enough, there might also be interruption on the Autobahn, the German federal highway system.
Verdi is the union representing workers in the public sector. They are demanding a 50-150% increase in wages on holidays, nighttime work, and much more that other western countries, such as the United States, can only dream about.
Monday and Tuesday are expected to be the worst, but even Sunday afternoon traffic could be interrupted.
Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German railroad, is allowing passengers holding a train-specific ticket to use the ticket flexibly until April 4.
Passengers booked on flights to, through, or from Germany should contact airlines for assistance.
As shown in the past, German-based airlines such as Lufthansa and Eurowings will be overwhelmed, and getting through to their call center could be impossible or met with abuse. Agents in call centers are not authorized to make meaningful decisions or trained to be helpful.
The same will apply to transit counters in airports. Passengers should expect confrontations. Lufthansa has demonstrated during similar situations that customer service will shrink to nothing, even for premium customers.
Traveling through Germany has become a real challenge for many months, and there seems to be no end.
Full article: Avoid travel to, from, or through Germany Sunday to Tuesday
Copyright: eTurboNews - Travel Industry News - World Travel News
