LH cancels 3,800 flights due to pilot strike

[Hussar 54]

I think you're probably right....

So here goes....

Greedy Lufthansa Skygods....Already the best paid in Europe and they still want more.... !

There you are....Feel better ?

If, on the other hand, you prefer the twin benefits for Lufthansa of ( 1 ) Air Berlin going down the tubes and around 2,000 flight crew hitting the unemployent lines and ( 2 ) Lufthansa having a 90% plus market share on routes between Germany <> Austria <> Switzerland <> Belgium with Air Berlin out of the way, then just continue to ignore Lufthansa's spoiling tactics....

Big business and politics in Germany is an old boys network, and the relationship between Lufthansa and the EC Commissioners is unhealthy...

Don't agree with me ??

Etihad buys a minority stake in Air Berlin....Lufthansa cries foul....And the EC decide this merits an investigation....

SUBSIDIARIES OF THE LUFTHANSA GROUP

Cityline – wholly owned 100%, acquired by Lufthansa March 1992
Luxair – owned 13% acquired December 1992
BMI – acquired 20% of BMI, July 1999
Air Dolomiti – wholly owned 100%, acquired by Lufthansa July 2003
Eurowings – wholly owned 100%, acquired by Lufthansa December 2006
Germanwings – wholly owned 100%, acquired via Eurowings December 2006
Sun Express – owned 50%, acquired February 2007
BMI – acquired further 10% of BMI, July 2007
Swiss International – wholly owned 100%, acquired by Lufthansa July 2007
AeroLogic – owned 50% since September 2007
Jet Blue Airways – owned 15.8% since December 2007
Brussels Airlines – owned 45% since September 2008 with an option to purchase the remaining 55%
BMI – acquired remaining 50% of BMI, October 2008
Eidelweiss – wholly owned 100%, acquired via Swiss International November 2008
Austrian Airlines – wholly owned 100%, acquired by Lufthansa September 2009
Tyrolean Airways – wholly owned 100%, acquired via Austrian September 2009
BMI – sold 100% to IAG, March 2012

Amazingly, only two of these 16 acquisitions and the single disposal attracted the attention of the EC’s Competition Commissioners –

In June 2008, the Austrian Government were advised to sell AUA to foreign ownership, and Aeroflot, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, BA, AF-KLM, S7 and Lufthansa all approached the Austrian Government as potential buyers. In September 2008, it was announced that Lufthansa had been selected as the buyer. In July 2009, the EC finally agreed to an enquiry into the deal, after it was revealed that the Austrian Government had committed to provide the airline with a €500 million restructuring grant ‘ once the deal has been closed ‘ AF – KL complained that this had not been openly communicated to the other companies interested in acquiring AUA, but the Austrian Government refused to hold a re-tendering process and completed a deal with Lufthansa. The EC stated that it had suspicions that ‘ The tendering process was a fake one, everything having already been decided in favour of Lufthansa ‘ Just three months later, the Commission waived the deal through after Lufthansa ‘ agreed to change the structure of the deal retrospectively ‘.

And the disposal of BMI to IAG in 2012 was only allowed to proceed by the EC Competition Commission after IAG agreed to give up 14 slots at Heathrow. But as an IAG Senior Manager reportedly said to a Press Briefing at the time ‘ It’s a small price to pay, because if wasn’t Lufthansa selling it to us, we certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to buy BMI ‘.

You're not Lufthansa management yourself, are you ? Just asking, because I seem to have touched a nerve with yourself and Airbourne...