Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) pilot union, Vereinigung Cockpit, has raised serious concerns over the carrier's plans to develop Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf) into its pan-European regional budget carrier.
Switzerland's Sonntagszeitung newspaper says the union has queried future crews working conditions amid reports Lufthansa has targeted wages that are 20% less than those at germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn), the Lufthansa Group's current budget operation.
Vereinigung Cockpit has also raised doubts about the project's viability given that in its initial stages, it's Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH base will consist of just four A320-200s. The union claims such a low number of aircraft will not allow LCC Eurowings to adequately compete with the likes of easyJet (London Luton) which already maintains a dominant position in Basel. The move has also drawn concerns from Swiss (LX, Zurich) unions whose carrier will abandon Basel in order to make way for LCC Eurowings.
Lufthansa, which sees the budget carrier as its only way of reclaiming lost European short- and medium-haul market share, is scheduled to unveil definitive details about its LCC ambitions early next month.
