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Lufthansa strike: Flights will be severely disrupted across Germany this week

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80-90% of Lufthansa flights were impacted during the last strike.

Flights and trains across Germany will be severely disrupted this week due to strikes.

Germany’s flagship airline Lufthansa say they are “expecting extensive effects on the flight program.”

200,000 passengers are likely to be affected, meaning that around 1,000 flights per day will be cancelled as during previous strikes, according to German news agency dpa.

Flights on Thursday (7 March) and Friday (8 March) will be the worst affected.

The official strike times of Lufthansa ground staff are: 8 pm on Wednesday until 7.10 am on Saturday.

It is the third time this year that a strike has caused mass flight cancellations for Lufthansa.

The strike on long distance and regional train services begins at 2 am on Thursday and, according to GDL union, will last until 1 pm on Friday. However these times could change.

Why are Germany travel strikes happening?

Disputes between transport workers and companies have been ongoing for months in Germant.

Along with asking for pay rises, GDL union has been calling for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 per week without a pay cut, which train operator Deutsche Bahn has refused.

The Ver.di union seeks a 12.5% pay raise, or at least €500 more per month, in negotiations for nearly 25,000 Lufthansa ground workers including check-in, aircraft handling, maintenance and freight staff.

Coinciding contract negotiations have resulted in several recent walkouts in the rail, air and local transport sectors in Germany.

Chief Ver.di negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said the strikes come at a time when ground workers are barely earning the minimum wage, yet Germany’s Lufthansa is boasting a high profit margin.

“Nobody can understand that this company will be announcing record annual results this week, that bonuses for board members will be increased substantially, and that ground employees with hourly wages of €13 in some cases no longer even know how to make ends meet in Germany’s most expensive cities,” said Reschinsky in a statement.

With the warning strike, the trade union wants to increase the pressure on Lufthansa ahead of the planned fifth round of collective bargaining on 13 and 14 March.

Germany train strike: Which services will be affected?

The walkout by GDL workers will affect Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains.

During previous strikes, DB have operated emergency timetables. However these strikes are not going to be operated with 48 hours notice so it could be impossible for DB to plan ahead.

In a statement, DB say: “During the strike, DB will be offering a basic service on long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services. We recommend reserving a seat on long-distance services. The basic offer is available via the timetable information on bahn.de and in the DB Navigator. DB asks travellers to check whether their connection is available 24 hours before departure.”

Full information from DB, including how to rebook or get a refund, is available here.

How to find out if your Lufthansa flight is cancelled

In a statement, Lufthansa say: “Passengers who will be affected by an irregularity will receive information about cancellations and rebooking options by email or in the Lufthansa app.”

Ensure that the contact details on your booking are up to date so that the airline can easily contact you.

They advise passengers to check this page on their website for updates.

You can also keep eye on Lufthansa’s X account for further updates.

Beware: in the past, Lufthansa customer service has warned customers that there is a fake WhatsApp number being circulated. The airline does not have a WhatsApp account to communicate with customers.

Lufthansa strike: Can you get a refund?

Lufthansa have said: “Flights that have been canceled due to the strike can be rebooked free of charge at http://lufthansa.com, in the Lufthansa app or via the service centers.”

They also say: “Due to the strike, the rebooking desks are unfortunately not staffed.”

If your flight is domestic, you can get a voucher for an equivalent train journey via the Lufthansa website.

Under EU rules, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight is cancelled.

Passengers compain about Lufthansa customer service

There was two strikes that disrupted Lufthansa flights in February, causing widespread disruption to 100,000s of travellers.

At the time, many took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to complain that it has been very difficult to speak to someone at Lufthansa to get information or rebook flights.

At Frankfurt airport, a social media user filmed a long queue of travellers waiting to speak to customer service.

We will be updating this article with passengers’ experiences of this week’s strikes as they become available.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

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Budget sightseeing: The most scenic bus routes in Britain for less than €3

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The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.

If you fancy seeing some of Britain’s top sights on the cheap, this is the month to book some leave.

Travel tech company FlixBus is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the UK by offering £2 (€2.34) tickets for coach services across England, Scotland and Wales.

The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.

This year, FlixBus added connections to the city of Inverness as part of its Scottish Network, which will be included in the deal.

The company says it aims to make coach travel “as sustainable and affordable as possible”.

It recently launched an electric, long-distance, zero-emission route between Newport, Bristol and London.

Here are five of the best journeys available on the £2 offer.

Escape to the Scottish Highlands

Visitors seeking bracing air and epic scenery can take a four-hour bus from Glasgow to Inverness, stopping on the way in Perth.

The city of Inverness is considered the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.

From here, you can strike out into the countryside and lose yourself in heather-carpeted glens and granite mountains.

Journey back in time to the historic city of York

This route takes travellers from the city of Manchester to the historic heart of York in northern England. The journey takes two hours and 40 minutes, stopping at Bradford and Leeds on the way.

York is one of the UK’s cultural hotspots, home to the UNESCO-designated York Minster, a Gothic behemoth from the 13th century with medieval stained glass windows.

If it’s a sunny day, take a walk around the city walls – a reminder of York’s Roman past.

Harry Potter fans should leave time to stroll down the Shambles, a street of charmingly crooked half-timbered houses that bely its macabre past as a slaughterhouse.

Visit the vibrant city of Manchester

This route travels between the city of Birmingham and the city of Manchester passing through Stoke On Trent and stopping at Manchester Airport.

The two-hour and 45-minute trip gives travellers access to one of the UK’s trending tourist destinations.

Once the hub of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester is now home to a buzzing music scene, warehouses transformed into popups and co-working spaces and the unmissable Gay Village along Canal Street.

Chill out in the Cairngorms National Park

A three-hour bus from Glasgow takes travellers through the attractive Scottish towns of Perth and Pitlochry to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

Nature lovers will find ancient forests, secluded lochs and a funicular whisking you up to sublime valley views.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

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‘An excess of tourism’: Lake Como to introduce daytripper fee to curb visitor numbers

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This Italian lakeside city wants to impose a daily visitor fee.

Lake Como is glitzy, glamorous and engulfed by tourism.

The third largest lake in Italy, it sees as many as 1.4 million visitors a year descend on its shores.

The tourist numbers are proving overwhelming for the holiday hotspot in northern Italy, and one city is now considering introducing a tourist tax.

Mayor of the lakeside city of Como Alessandro Rapinese says he is mulling a Venice-style daily charge with suggestions that it could come into force soon.

Lake Como to introduce a daytripper fee

Rapinese has lambasted Lake Como’s overtourism saying it is “difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism”.

“We are already discussing the idea[ofa[ofatourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey,” he told UK newspaper The Times.

The fee would apply to daily visitors to the city of Como.

The mayor has not shared any further details about how much the fee will be, who will have to pay and when it will come into force.

If he uses the Venice model, the charge will apply to daytrippers (not those who have booked overnight accommodation in the city) and may be levied only on busy days like weekends and public holidays.

Lake Como battles overtourism

The chic lake has been struggling with soaring tourist numbers in recent years.

Crowds have boomed since several celebrities including George Clooney purchased multi-million euro properties along the shoreline and the lake provided a backdrop for films including Casino Royale and House of Gucci.

“I visited Lake Como last year and said I would never go back. Standards had dropped. Restaurants were disappointing in quality and price. Too many people to enjoy anything about the resort,” one visitor wrote on X.

Last summer, one lakeside villa which appeared in James Bond and Star Wars films was forced to limit visitor numbers.

Villa del Balbianello cut daily entries from 2,000 to a maximum of 1,200 to protect the historic house.

The Italian Fund for the Environment (FAI), which runs the property, called it “a drastic decision” but essential to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever greater impact on Lake Como”.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

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Istanbul, Dalaman, Izmir: Where to go with Türkiye’s new digital nomad visa

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Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.

Türkiye has become the latest country to launch a digital nomad visa for foreign remote workers.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has created a dedicated website where those interested can complete the first application stages.

The country hopes to lure digital nomads to destinations including Istanbul, Dalaman on the southwestern coast and Izmir on the west.

“Thousand years old ancient cities, unique bays hidden between forests, turquoise seas, dynamic people, big cities; Türkiye has all,” the visa promotion reads.

“In addition, this beautiful country is one of the biggest countries of the world in terms of economy and business, with strong infrastructure services.”

Who is eligible for Türkiye’s digital nomad visa?

Those interested in Türkiye’s digital nomad visa need to be aged between 21 and 55. Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.

Additional prerequisites include holding a university degree, having an employment or business contract and being able to prove a monthly income of $3,000 (€2,800) or an annual one of $36,000 (€33,800).

Applicants can register and upload their documents – including a passport with six-month validity and a photo – on the dedicated Digital Nomad GoTürkiye website.

If the application is accepted, you will be issued a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate which you can then take to a Turkish visa centre or consulate in your place of residence.

The best locations for digital nomads in Türkiye

The digital nomad website also promotes destinations around the country as prime spots for remote workers.

Istanbul is “a business centre with large companies and small start-ups, a metropole of 20 million inhabitants, a meeting point of different cultures [and] a historical centre where the paths of millennia-old civilisations converge.”

Digital nomads will find a strong transportation infrastructure with several metro and bus lines, and ferry journeys between its European and Asian sides, according to the website. It also says it is easy to find fully furnished apartments to rent.

Dalaman, on the Aegean coast, “offers great transportation options, an easy escape from the crowds, an impressive variety of free-time activities, and a strong infrastructure for those who want to work from this paradise on Earth.”

Izmir, also on the Aegean Sea, is ideal for those seeking year-round warmth and Blue Flag beaches.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

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