German Airport Security Strike & Frankfurt Won’t Accept Originating Passengers On March 22, 2022

Security staff at several German airports are striking for the second time this month on Tuesday (March 22, 2022), leading to the cancellation of many flights.

The strike affects operations at Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover, and Stuttgart airports and only allows connecting passengers at Frankfurt. Passengers departing from Frankfurt are NOT accepted.

You can access Lufthansa’s page for strike information here and Frankfurt Airport’s here.

Remember that this is a force majeure strike, and delay/cancellation compensation per EC 261/2004 doesn’t apply, but the duty to care does.

If your flight is affected by this action, the airline is responsible for rebooking you from your original to the ticketed destination, even on other airlines.

I am sure that airlines try to push you to their later services, but you can request to be rerouted on airports and airlines that are not affected by this labor action in Germany

Information from Frankfurt Airport:

Announcement: Frankfurt Airport Strike

A strike by security staff at Frankfurt Airport has been announced for Tuesday, March 22 2022. The strike activities are expected to cause major disruptions and flight cancellations throughout the day. In particular, the security checkpoints outside the transit area will remain closed throughout the day. Thus, originating passengers departing from Frankfurt will not be able to pass through the legally required security checks and get to their flights. We therefore strongly advise all originating passengers from Frankfurt to avoid coming to the airport. Please contact your airline or travel operator as soon as possible for information on your flight.

We expect that transfer processes for connecting passengers in the transit area will still largely be possible. Nevertheless, also transfer passengers should expect disruptions and delays due to the strike.

We kindly ask all affected passengers for their understanding.

Disruption to Train Services to/from Frankfurt Airport

Train servics to and from Frankfurt Airport are expected to be disrupted until March 22, due to the closure of the S-Bahn (suburban train) line between the stations Mainz-Bischofsheim and Rüsselsheim. Long-distance and regional trains serving the airport are likely to be affected by delays, diversions or cancellations. A replacement bus service has been provided for commuters between the two stations. Updates (in German) are available on the websites of Deutsche Bahn  and the local RMV transport association

Road Access to Terminals 1 and 2

Construction work is underway on the access roads to Frankfurt Airport’s Terminals 1 and 2, leading to diversions and possible traffic congestion (particularly affecting the Arrivals drive-by areas and parking lot P35). If travelling to the airport by car, we strongly recommend taking advantage of our easily accessible terminal parking garages, including for short-term parking.

Lufthansa’s Notice:

Strike of the security staff on 22 March at the airports in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover and Stuttgart 

Due to a strike of the security personnel on 22 March at the airports in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover and Stuttgart, there will be considerable restrictions in the Lufthansa Group flight schedule as well as in ground handling and security checks at these airports. Please check the status of your flight before you travel. If your flight is cancelled, we kindly ask you to refrain from travelling to the airport. Further information for passengers departing from Frankfurt can be found in the section below.
Please reduce your hand luggage as much as possible to allow for a quick check-in at the security checkpoints. For check-in, please use the online service or your Lufthansa app.

Flights from Frankfurt on 22 March

Due to a strike by the security staff at Frankfurt Airport on 22 March, there will be massive restrictions for passengers planning a journey commencing in Frankfurt on that day.

Passengers will not be able to change from the public area to the security area in Frankfurt. For this reason, it will not be possible for local passengers to depart from Frankfurt.  

You have a journey commencing in Frankfurt on 22 March?

You can rebook free of charge on any other Lufthansa Group flight (Lufthansa, SWISS; Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Air Dolomiti) until 27 March. Please use our online rebooking service. A change of the flight routing in the ticket is not permitted. If you wish to have your ticket refunded, you can also submit this via the online service.

Please do not come to Frankfurt Airport on 22 March. It will not be possible to depart on this day, even if your flight is shown as not cancelled and you may be able to check in via an online portal.

The same applies to guests travelling to Frankfurt via Lufthansa Express Rail or Express Bus. Here, too, there is no possibility of boarding at the departure gate.
If you have booked a domestic flight from Frankfurt, you can exchange your flight coupon for a Deutsche Bahn ticket free of charge on this page.

You are transiting via Frankfurt on 22 March?

Lufthansa plans to offer a regular flight schedule via Frankfurt. If you only change planes in Frankfurt, you can start your journey as usual. We kindly ask you to check the status of your flight before you start your journey. Please also reduce your hand luggage as much as possible to allow for a quick check-in at the security checkpoints in the transit area in Frankfurt.

Please do not leave the transit area in Frankfurt under any circumstances. It will then no longer be possible to return to this area to your departure gate.

Do you have a flight that ends in Frankfurt on 22 March?

There are no restrictions at Frankfurt Airport for travellers disembarking in Frankfurt. However, please also check the status of your flight before you start your journey.

Are you travelling to Frankfurt with an LH Express Rail / Bus ticket and have a connecting flight?

Unfortunately, the regulation for local passengers also applies to you; there is no access to the passenger area. Please rebook your travel dates as described in the chapter above.

Conclusion

A very unfortunate situation on Tuesday for passengers that are set to originate from Frankfurt. There is always an option to take a train to any other airport in Germany and try to begin your trip there or postpone it by a day or two.

If you are transiting in Germany and one of the flights is canceled, you should request that the airline rebooks you to a service that doesn’t touch Germany.

You also need to remember that some of the flights will inevitably get canceled, which will affect the schedule also on Wednesday and Thursday when planes and crews are out of their usual rotation.