How Austria will be affected by Germany's 'mega' transport strike on Monday
A nationwide strike set for Monday in Germany is set to bring train and air transport in the neighbouring country to its knees, with several knock-on effects for travellers between Germany and Austria.
As two big German unions coordinate their strikes on Monday to get maximum leverage in their negotiations with public employers there, Austrian airports and its state-owned train company ÖBB are warning travellers here to expect knock-on disruptions – some to last several days.
Starting at midnight as Sunday rolls into Monday morning, German workers with its state-owned Deutsche Bahn (DB), as well as aviation security workers and others, will strike until 11:59 pm Monday.
READ ALSO: Train strike: What are your rights in Austria if your trip is cancelled or delayed?
DB has already advised travellers in Germany to try and complete their journeys by late Sunday afternoon, as some of the shifts affected by the strike start already on Sunday – leading to a few evening cancellations.
ÖBB says some of the knock-on effects mean that a few Austrian night trains starting already on Saturday evening could see disruptions or outright cancellations, if they’re set to travel to or through Germany later. Some of these night train disruptions could last until Wednesday morning, ÖBB warns.
The company is advising customers to avoid all travel to or through Germany on Monday and is either shortening or cancelling all services into Germany that day.
All services through Deutsches Eck near Salzburg are affected, with all RJ and RJX connections scheduled to run through there set to end in either Salzburg or Kufstein. A shuttle will be set up between Wörgl and Salzburg, but passengers are being told to expect delays of up to three hours.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Vienna plans to make its public transport functional again
ÖBB asks passengers to check with them for the latest updates and says that tickets scheduled for trips to, from, or via Germany on Monday can be cancelled and refunded. Tickets running through Deutsches Eck can be used until up to and including March 29th. Affected tickets to or from Germany can be used up to and including April 4th.
Airport chaos looms
Aviation security personnel at all German airports except Berlin are also set to take part in Monday’s strike, including at the country’s busiest hubs – Frankfurt and nearby Munich.
Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Bremen airports have cancelled all flights Monday – both taking off and landing – with more airports quite likely to follow suit. Munich has cancelled all flights not just for Monday, but for Sunday as well, backlogging the airport’s traffic.
With flight connections in Germany affected, dozens of flights coming into or out of Vienna Airport in the next few days will see disruptions or cancellations.
READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?
While Vienna is the main airport affected, the German airport strikes will also see disruptions or cancellations to flights at airports in Graz, Salzburg, Linz, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck.
Affected passengers are asked to contact their airlines directly to make alternative arrangements.
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As two big German unions coordinate their strikes on Monday to get maximum leverage in their negotiations with public employers there, Austrian airports and its state-owned train company ÖBB are warning travellers here to expect knock-on disruptions – some to last several days.
Starting at midnight as Sunday rolls into Monday morning, German workers with its state-owned Deutsche Bahn (DB), as well as aviation security workers and others, will strike until 11:59 pm Monday.
READ ALSO: Train strike: What are your rights in Austria if your trip is cancelled or delayed?
DB has already advised travellers in Germany to try and complete their journeys by late Sunday afternoon, as some of the shifts affected by the strike start already on Sunday – leading to a few evening cancellations.
ÖBB says some of the knock-on effects mean that a few Austrian night trains starting already on Saturday evening could see disruptions or outright cancellations, if they’re set to travel to or through Germany later. Some of these night train disruptions could last until Wednesday morning, ÖBB warns.
The company is advising customers to avoid all travel to or through Germany on Monday and is either shortening or cancelling all services into Germany that day.
All services through Deutsches Eck near Salzburg are affected, with all RJ and RJX connections scheduled to run through there set to end in either Salzburg or Kufstein. A shuttle will be set up between Wörgl and Salzburg, but passengers are being told to expect delays of up to three hours.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How Vienna plans to make its public transport functional again
ÖBB asks passengers to check with them for the latest updates and says that tickets scheduled for trips to, from, or via Germany on Monday can be cancelled and refunded. Tickets running through Deutsches Eck can be used until up to and including March 29th. Affected tickets to or from Germany can be used up to and including April 4th.
Airport chaos looms
Aviation security personnel at all German airports except Berlin are also set to take part in Monday’s strike, including at the country’s busiest hubs – Frankfurt and nearby Munich.
Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Bremen airports have cancelled all flights Monday – both taking off and landing – with more airports quite likely to follow suit. Munich has cancelled all flights not just for Monday, but for Sunday as well, backlogging the airport’s traffic.
With flight connections in Germany affected, dozens of flights coming into or out of Vienna Airport in the next few days will see disruptions or cancellations.
READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?
While Vienna is the main airport affected, the German airport strikes will also see disruptions or cancellations to flights at airports in Graz, Salzburg, Linz, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck.
Affected passengers are asked to contact their airlines directly to make alternative arrangements.
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