Lufthansa: pilots want to renegotiate – Handelsblatt

“3″ Pilots want to renegotiate

The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit comes Lufthansa in the current tariff disputes against

(Photo: AP)

Frankfurt The Lufthansa passengers can look forward to a summer without a pilot strike. In deadlocked labor dispute at Europe’s largest aviation group, the union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has savings of more than EUR 400 million offered by its own account, to prevent the relocation of jobs to other airlines.

The pilots have in the conflict already struck twelve times and added to the company a loss of more than 300 million euros. Lufthansa welcomed on Friday the proposals should now be examined.

After widespread in Frankfurt offer the VC wants to forge a “common alliance for growth and employment” with Lufthansa. We see the possibility to come to September 1 of this year results. The pilots will first dispense among others on salary increases and expressed their willingness to change two years later than previously into early retirement. On average, the pilots would have to be at the transition 60 years old. Also with regard to occupational pensions and smaller details on working the VC was willing to compromise.

For Lufthansa to give up their plans to relocate part of its Euro Wings Strategy aircraft on Group companies, where for pilots not the German Group collective agreement. In addition, for the first time since 2013 young drivers should be reinstated.

The many construction sites of Lufthansa

• Still is expected at Lufthansa, but also for 2014, Europe’s largest aviation group in March is expected to present no outstanding results. Around one billion euros operating profit has been announced, to nearly 700 million euros a year ago. But the management warns 2015 before a “dangerous red zone”, on the one zubewege itself. The air is getting thinner because the DAX company has a variety of construction sites:

  Source: dpa

• It is no accident sent Qatar Airways in January the world’s first Airbus A350 XWB for its maiden flight in Lufthansa Heart to Frankfurt. As Emirates and Etihad strengthens Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker’s presence with the most modern jets in Europe’s airports, limited only by the heavily criticized restrictions imposed by the bilateral traffic rights. In addition, the buying spree of the Arabs is in Europe: Almost ten percent of British Airways and Iberia parent IAG go to Qatar. Etihad from neighboring emirate Abu Dhabi sits long at Air France, Air Berlin, Air Serbia and Alitalia with the control stick.

• The current decline in prices at the aviation fuel helps especially airlines, which have hardly hedged against price fluctuations. Lufthansa is not among them, but would like to have a good portion of the savings achieved nevertheless benefit its shareholders. Remember that is not fold. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has already announced that “the vast majority, if not all” pass on savings to the customer, thus lowering the ticket prices.

• Much of the collective problems remain unsolved. The long standing dispute with the pilots can escalate at any time to strike, as they were almost a daily occurrence in the previous year. In addition, the cabin union UFO has brought the agreement in principle of their flight attendants for labor disputes. Crux here include occupational pensions, no longer wants to guarantee returns for Lufthansa. For ground staff Verdi demanded 5.5 percent more money. Sharply falling personnel costs are in any case not in sight.

• The new Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has indeed pushed reforms in the business model, but the less expensive cheap brand “Euro Wings” is only in October 2015 so right at the start. The question remains how the costs incurred in the recent German Wings can be further lowered, which should account for about two-thirds of future Airline fleet. So far, their costs are still significantly higher than the competition by Easyjet and Ryanair, as well as in the intragroup competition Euro Wings and SunExpress. Positives: The redesign of the cabins at the Lufthansa parent will be completed in autumn

• Tough competition, inefficient infrastructure, high administrative costs and Taxes attenuate after the airline organization IATA considers that the gains of the airlines in the European market. This year, they are still $ 4 billion (3.2 billion euros) to rise by $ 2.7 billion in 2014. Per Passenger remain on average in Europe depend only just over 4 dollars on the airline. Worldwide IATA expects $ 7 a passenger.

• Large companies such as the recent BMW and Bosch, the civil action of Deutsche Bahn have connected, wants erstreiten among others, Lufthansa damages for many years to high kerosene and safety margins in freight shipments. Lufthansa itself had to pop the cartel with numerous other airlines and had been spared as a witness of EU fines. But that also means that there is no reasonable doubt that the fees were excessive. According to “Business Week” add up the demands on Lufthansa and other airlines to nearly three billion euros.

When it comes to constructive negotiations come, the VC will not call to strike, according to a company spokesperson on demand. However, Lufthansa had to assure flag out any German planes to Italy or Austria.

The VC will also compare with the company’s own salary structures with those of the competition. The benchmark is for future Euro Wings pilots of British low cost airline EasyJet apply, on the low-cost long-haul conditions of holiday airline Condor. Also for the pilots of the parent company Lufthansa they were prepared to a salary comparison.