Lufthansa staff are officially striking on the 12th February 2026. This strike will cause massive delays and cancellations, and under the EU261 regulation, passengers are entitled to up to 600€ compensation.

When and who from Lufthansa is striking?

On Thursday February 12th, 2026, Lufthansa employees are organising a 24 hour strike, lasting from 00:01 to 23:59 local time.

The strikers include the pilot’s union (VC - Vereinigung Cockpit), and the flight attendants’ union (UFO).

Why are Lufthansa staff striking?

The staff agreed to a strike in September 2025 due to Lufthansa’s announcement of cost-cutting. This included potentially cutting 4000 jobs (nearly 4% of their employees). This was after the shock of losing a fifth of its earnings in 2024, making the airline fall behind against other competitors.

Who is affected by the strike?

Passengers flying to and from Germany could face massive delays or cancellations, with the strike affecting most German airports, including major hubs like Frankfurt and Munich. The strike will especially affect the Lufthansa CityLine flights, as well as many cargo flights.

What can passengers do?

Passengers flying Lufthansa or those who will have flights affected by the strike could be entitled to 600€ compensation. Under the EU261 regulation, if flight disruptions are caused by an airline, passengers have a right to compensation.

What are the specific rules?

The EU261/2004 regulation stipulates that passengers have a right to compensation:

If a flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure.
If a flight is delayed by 3h or more.
Boarding is denied due to overbooking.

What are the compensation amounts?

If your flight is less than 1500km: 250€
If your flight is between 1500km and 3500km: 400€
If your flight is over 3500km: 600€

Passengers are also entitled to accommodation, food, beverages, and a re-routing or refund if necessary.

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