After seven months of intense negotiations and a two-day labor dispute, the Independent Flight Attendant Organization (UFO) and Lufthansa’s subsidiary, CityLine, have reached an agreement on a new collective pay agreement that will benefit approximately 900 flight attendants.
The agreement includes a 7.5% raise in the pay scale retroactive to January 1, 2024, and another 4.5% increase starting March 1, 2025. Additionally, various allowances will be increased, and a one-time payment of 750 euros will be granted, both prorated for part-time employees. Starting next year, the holiday bonus will also increase by 150 euros.
“Negotiations were tough and stalled at times, but in the end, thanks to the support of the CityLine cabin crew, we achieved a real success. The retroactivity of the salary increases was particularly important to us to ensure that the long negotiation period did not disadvantage the cabin crew,” explained Harry Jaeger, Head of Pay Policy at UFO.
The short duration of the new agreement, which will end in December 2025, was essential for UFO due to the impending liquidation of CityLine. “A particularly difficult point of negotiation was the pay for flight attendants with additional functions in the training area. To avoid further delaying the deserved salary increases for the cabin crew, we agreed on a negotiation obligation with the employer,” Jaeger added.
UFO members will now vote on the acceptance of the new agreement through an internal ballot.
“We are very pleased to have been able to negotiate an excellent agreement for the CityLine crew. In some parts, this pay package is even better than existing agreements within the group. Most importantly, it ensures that the crew receives the monetary appreciation they more than deserve. The years of sacrifice due to growth prospects, which are now known not to materialize at CityLine, needed to be compensated with a substantial pay increase. With this agreement, we consider this goal to have been achieved. UFO continues to advocate at all levels for responsible job security for Lufthansa CityLine cabin staff and demands contractually regulated transfer options from CityLine to Lufthansa. Carsten Spohr has given his word on this,” concluded Joachim Vázquez Bürger, UFO Chairman.
The final approval of the new agreement now depends on the vote of UFO members, who will decide whether to accept the agreed terms.
