German Cabin Crew Union Reacts To Lufthansa's New ITA Stake
After a number of months and rounds of bidding and negotiations, the Lufthansa Group’s acquisition of ITA Airways was lastly confirmed yesterday after the airline group agreed with the Italian Authorities for a 41% stake within the Italian flag service. The settlement additionally permits the Lufthansa Group to buy the remainder of the ITA Airways […] The German Cabin Crew Union has reacted with mixed reactions to the acquisition of ITA Airways, which resulted in a 41% stake in the Italian flag service. The Italian employee unions were relieved with the news, but were divided on how they thought concerning the upcoming entry into the Lufthansa Group. The union Ufo and the German Airline Pilots’ Affiliation Vereinigung Cockpit noted that ITA is up to some severe competitors with the already well-established airways and hubs of the group, growing the danger of seizing passengers from one another. The unions emphasize that they may pay shut consideration to the settlement and its particulars, notably on any potential competitors management from the European Fee.
Published : 2 weeks ago by Younes Aitouazdi in Travel
After a number of months and rounds of bidding and negotiations, the Lufthansa Group’s acquisition of ITA Airways was lastly confirmed yesterday after the airline group agreed with the Italian Authorities for a 41% stake within the Italian flag service. The settlement additionally permits the Lufthansa Group to buy the remainder of the ITA Airways later.
In Italy, the information of the deal was primarily well-received as after getting used to the failure of Alitalia and the uncertainty of the rebranded ITA Airways, hopes started to soar once more that the Lufthansa Group will be capable to save the struggling flag service. Based on Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the aviation giants from Frankfurt had been greater than welcome as they had been the saviors that ITA Airways and its workers desperately wanted.
The Italian employee unions had been additionally relieved concerning the upcoming entry of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group, as it might imply the growth of fleets and route networks would create new job alternatives. For the previous Alitalia workers who’ve been within the wage compensation fund since 2021, the hope and chance of latest jobs, secure month-to-month wages, and advantages are music to their ears.
Whereas aid is felt in Italy, the identical couldn’t be mentioned regarding how Germany was dealing with the information. Particularly, the German unions had been divided on how they thought concerning the Italian flag service’s entry into the Lufthansa Group – presently consisting of the first service Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airways, Brussels Airways, and Eurowings.
From the German unions‘ perspective, it is simple how the deal brings about job alternatives and the potential growth of latest markets, however the dangers appear to outweigh these advantages. In a joint announcement to spotlight their skepticism, the cabin crew union Ufo and the German Airline Pilots’ Affiliation Vereinigung Cockpit mentioned:
“Alternatives do lie within the development of the Lufthansa Group, however there are additionally dangers in ITA Airways’ lack of profitability and the growing complexity of your entire group, which takes on more and more threatening proportions for financial stability. For us, the worker teams within the varied airways of the group mustn’t be performed off towards one another. There mustn’t and won’t be competitors to the underside.”
One primitive downside recognized by the unions is that ITA is up towards some severe competitors with the already well-established airways and hubs of the Lufthansa Group, growing the danger of seizing passengers from one another. Stopping such dangers would require a extra sturdy central management system to make important selections, resembling whether or not passengers from Milan will fly to the US by way of Munich or by way of Rome.
Albeit it may be taken as a right that such points have already been foreseen and can finally be ironed out by the related airline administration, the Ufo and Vereinigung Cockpit proceed to stay weary of how the entry of ITA into the Lufthansa Group will play out for all events and workers concerned.
Within the meantime, the unions emphasize that they may pay shut consideration to the settlement and its particulars – notably on any potential competitors management from the European Fee, and can make each effort to coordinate carefully with the opposite unions.
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Topics: Texas, Houston, Airlines, Lufthansa