Easyjet flights from Berlin cancelled, delayed by strike | The New Age Online
More money, of course. VER.DI is pretty notorious for long strikes. They quite often want 5-7% more and then try how far they can go. A very big, rich and powerful union. They are somehow not worried EZY could close their SXF base (i.e. replace it with planes from elsewhere), as they have done with DTM. The strike is an example of the current German 'island thinking', i.e. they have 5% growth a year, so the unions of course now also want some more money. The word "austerity" is not known in Germany currently. Being blind towards e.g. Eastern Europeans doing the same work for a fifth of the money. The capitalistic solution would be (MOL-style): Base the planes in KUN, KTW or RIX, fly them to SXF in the morning, then onwards to Italy and Spain. No base in SXF necessary (FR has no base at SXF). Mind you, EZY's market-position in BER is quite strong, esp as AB is quite a bit more expensive, LH has very limited direct routes. EZY has monopolies to e.g. GVA, and most flights a day to the UK. There isn't much risk 4U or FR would try to steal UK routes from them, really esp with GBP and UK economy so weak. NB I believe all LTN flights are LTN based aircraft, so they were not affected.