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Jan Gruber

Lauda increases the pressure on German employees

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 13:46

If no collective agreement for the staff in Düsseldorf and Stuttgart is signed with Verdi on Thursday and the employees refuse to give their consent by July 7, 2020, all of them will be dismissed. The management of the Austrian Ryanair subsidiary Lauda informed its employees in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf on Tuesday that a final meeting with the Verdi union will take place on Thursday, July 2, 2020. If a new collective agreement is signed at this meeting, the two bases will remain open. Otherwise, all employees in Germany will be dismissed at the end of the summer flight schedule period. If the collective agreement between Verdi and Lauda is concluded, the closure of the two bases will be stopped. The employees must - as in Austria - give their consent to the new contract. In Vienna, the 94 flight personnel who did not respond with "I accept" were subsequently dismissed. In Germany, however, the situation is quite complicated in another respect, because the management insists on negotiating exclusively with the Verdi union. There are no concrete negotiations with either the Cockpit Association or UFO. A few days ago, the VC announced that it felt it had been completely ripped off by Verdi and even hinted that it might not recognise the collective agreement negotiated by Verdi. However, the collective bargaining committee consists exclusively of members of the Verdi union, who are said to be in the majority among cabin crew. According to the Cockpit Association, there are significantly more VC members among pilots and only a few pilots are said to be in the Verdi

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Vienna: Corona tests now also on the weekend

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 13:10

Until now, the paid PCR tests at Vienna-Schwechat Airport were only available during the week. Now the offer is being extended to Saturdays and Sundays, Flughafen Wien AG announced on Wednesday. Specifically, the tests will now also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.00 a.m. to 16.00 p.m. in the Vienna Airport Health Center in Office Park 3 at Vienna Airport. From Monday to Friday, the tests are available from 9.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m. "Due to the expansion of travel options, the need for PCR tests is also increasing, not only because it replaces quarantine for travelers, but also because many passengers want to make sure that they are not carrying the virus," the airport said in a press release.

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Friedrichshafen: Corendon new to Rhodes

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 13:04

The holiday airline Corendon Europe started a non-stop connection between Friedrichshafen and Rhodes on Wednesday. This is to be served twice a week with Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Another inaugural flight is scheduled for Friday with Heraklion. The Corendon Group also intends to serve the destinations Antalya, Kayseri and Hurghada from Lake Constance Airport in the 2020 summer flight schedule. Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria are planned for winter. "We are pleased that Corendon is adding the route to Rhodes as its second new destination in a short space of time, after the inaugural flight to Kayseri took place last Sunday. We know that the Greek islands are a popular travel destination for the citizens of the four-country region. Lake Constance Airport and the destinations that await their guests take the health protection of passengers and employees very seriously and have implemented extensive measures accordingly. We look forward to seeing you,” says Claus-Dieter Wehr, Managing Director of Bodensee-Airport.

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Flight availability in Berlin is growing significantly

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 12:52

In July 2020, 36 airlines will offer connections to around 100 destinations in 40 countries from Berlin's Schönefeld and Tegel airports. In recent days, the operator has recorded a "sharp increase" in the number of travelers. "Air traffic from Berlin is increasing significantly again from today. Most airlines are back with a wide selection of European holiday destinations as well as regular frequencies on scheduled services. Holidays, business trips and visiting friends and family are now possible again on a large scale and tourism in the capital region is picking up speed again. Up to 30.000 passengers will travel to and from Schönefeld and Tegel every day in July. The airports are thus making a major contribution to the economy and tourism in the capital region," said airport boss Engelbert Lütke Daldrup. Easyjet starts in Berlin with nine aircraft On Wednesday, the largest provider at Berlin-Tegel Airport, Easyjet, also began ramping up its services again. According to the company, 39 routes will be offered for the time being. By August, around 75 percent of the original route network is to be reactivated. The airline plans to start with up to five aircraft in Schönefeld and up to four aircraft from Tegel. This means that 39 routes will already be flown in the first half of July. This is to increase to around 50 routes over the course of the summer. "We are delighted to finally be able to get going again. Our destinations will initially be those that are in high demand for tourists: for example, the Greek islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, the Balearic Islands/Canaries and mainland Spain. City destinations such as Paris, Amsterdam, Basel, London, Copenhagen and others will be added gradually.

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Leonore Gewessler puts aviation strategy to the test

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 12:32

The opposition has expressed doubts about the government's planned minimum prices for airline tickets. However, the Transport Minister is convinced that this can be implemented in accordance with current EU law. On Tuesday, the Transport Committee of the National Council focused on a debate on the aviation policy of Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The main focus was on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and the minimum prices for tickets planned by the Green politician. Gewessler also discussed that she wanted to negotiate at EU level on the reform of air traffic control, known as the Single European Sky. At the same time, she wants to negotiate a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from aviation. Another focus would be alternative fuels, the level of their use is currently negligible. The aviation industry is facing major challenges here. From a climate protection perspective, shifting short-haul flights to rail is the most sensible way forward, but this also requires an expansion of high-speed city connections and connections to the eastern neighbors. Another element is the increase in night train services. Leonore Gewessler also admitted that the implementation of the minimum prices for flight tickets that she had announced was "a complex task". The background to this is that, according to legal experts, a national solo effort could violate existing EU law. However, the minister was confident that "a solution is possible". State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) also described the implementation of the minimum prices as a "challenge". The Green politician also wants to review the Aviation Roadmap, which was drawn up in 2017, and present a new strategy for air traffic next year. She proposed amendments for the autumn.

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Contract for AUA rescue not yet finalized

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 12:08

SPÖ, FPÖ and Neos want to see the contract to rescue Austrian Airlines. But now State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) and Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) have declared that this has not yet been finalized. In recent weeks, the opposition has repeatedly called on the Austrian federal government to disclose the rescue contract for Austrian Airlines. State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) stated in the Transport Committee on Tuesday that this could not be complied with because the agreement had "not yet been finalized". He also pointed out that the contract depends on the agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and Lufthansa and the approval of the EU Commission. This has been clearly communicated at all times. In response to criticism from the opposition regarding the planned job cuts, the State Secretary replied that these had already been initiated by the company before the COVID-19 crisis and were therefore not part of the negotiating mandate. In return for the grant of 150 million euros, the Republic of Austria will receive commitments to maintain the majority of jobs, maintain the Vienna hub and take accompanying climate protection measures. The Vienna hub is to grow in line with the other hubs of the Lufthansa Group. Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler confirmed the State Secretary's statements on AUA and promised that the contract would be made available to the committee as soon as the final points have been clarified.

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Ryanair celebrates "Corona comeback"

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 10:53

The Irish low-cost airline has been operating around 1.000 flights a day again since Wednesday. Some bases resumed operations around a week ago. The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair resumed operations from many bases on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. According to a statement from the company, around 1.000 flights are now offered daily. In total, 90 percent of the originally planned destinations are served. Some bases, including Lauda's in Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Palma de Mallorca, made their comeback around a week ago. Ryanair announced the following: “In line with the recommendations of the EASA and ECDC, Ryanair has introduced new health measures for both our crews and our passengers that will minimize the risk of Covid-19 on all Ryanair flights. These include mandatory face masks/mouth-nose coverings, less checked baggage, cashless onboard service and enhanced hygiene measures.” CEO Michael O'Leary explains in a press release: “We have flown around 10 flights a day in the last 250 days of June and have re-deployed our aircraft, crews and maintenance teams. From today, we are operating 1.000 flights a day across our entire European network, which is around 40 percent of our normal July capacity. We expect to carry more than 4,5 million customers in July, including many families who are enjoying well-deserved holidays in the Mediterranean after the difficult challenges of the Covid-19 lockdown, home schooling, etc. These 1.000 daily flights represent an important turning point for Ryanair and for the European tourism industry, which is associated with many jobs and small businesses.

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Stuttgart opens Terminal 1 again

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 10:43

Due to increasing passenger numbers, Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport is reopening the check-in areas of Terminal 1. Terminals 1 and 3 are now available for check-in and passenger screening. Stuttgart expects the number of airlines flying to the airport to increase from around 2020 to over 20 by the end of August 30. The most frequently flown destination will be Palma de Mallorca. The airlines operating from Stuttgart have announced up to 72 rotations per week.

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VC and UFO announce major demo in Berlin

Jan Gruber July 1, 2020 10:22

UFO and VC as well as the employees of the affected airlines will draw attention to their fate on Thursday. The Cockpit association is holding a demonstration in Berlin on Thursday from 14 p.m. The route will lead from the Federal Ministry of Finance to the Bundestag and the nearby Federal Chancellery. The rally is being organized in cooperation with the UFO union and representatives of the staff representatives and collective bargaining committees of the affected airlines. The demo is under the motto "You fly on vacation - we fly out." The unions and the affected employees want to draw attention to the fate of the employees of SunExpress, Germanwings, Tuifly and the Walter airline. The VC writes: "Lufthansa and TUI have received billions in state aid. Nevertheless, the employees of LGW, SunExpress, Germanwings and TUIfly have to fear for their future. It cannot be that company interests are put before employee interests."

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Minimum ticket prices could fail due to EU law

Jan Gruber June 30, 2020 13:55

State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) is now using different wording and is trying to calm people down: it is not really a question of minimum prices, but rather that the airlines are simply obliged to pass on all taxes, fees and charges to ticket buyers. Austria will introduce minimum prices for flight tickets "before the summer" and thus take on "a pioneering role in Europe". No flight ticket should cost less than 40 euros. This was announced by Environment and Transport Minister Leonore Gewesseler (Greens) in the middle of the month. Ryanair/Lauda and Wizzair have just made fun of it. But now Magnus Brunner (ÖVP), State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, of all people, "de facto" no longer wants to hear anything about "minimum prices". The politician explained in an interview with the daily newspaper Kurier that it is "de facto not a minimum price". The airlines are simply obliged to pass on all taxes, fees and charges to passengers. A corresponding concept has already been developed and, according to Magnus Brunner, is of the opinion that it "complies with European law". He mentioned "perhaps as early as autumn" as a possible date. In principle, companies are liable for taxes and theoretically it is possible for them to pay the tax burden for their customers. Outside the aviation industry, however, this does not even occur with bait-and-switch offers from furniture stores. In these cases, only a percentage discount is granted, but VAT is still charged despite advertising to the contrary. Nevertheless, the plan of the Green Environment Minister is likely to cause problems under European law, as it would be an Austrian solo effort and not an EU-wide regulation. Due to very old agreements, it will also be difficult for airlines with non-Austrian AOC to comply with the

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