Lufthansa struggling to hire flight attendants to staff growth

Lufthansa is struggling to hire cabin crews for new routes, putting growth plans at risk as low wages and years of labour conflict complicate the airline’s recruiting amid a tight German job market. Through mid-May, Lufthansa has brought on about 500 flight attendants for its namesake carrier. With the peak summer flying season coming up within a few weeks, that’s a little more than one-third of the brand’s goal to hire 1,400 cabin-crew members in 2016. Including units such as Eurowings, the airline group is seeking 2,800 new flight attendants, adding to a cabin-crew workforce of about 28,000 employees. With German unemployment touching record lows since late 2014 and a contract dispute with the flight attendants’ union, UFO, now in arbitration, Lufthansa has struggled to lure qualified staff for expansion. <br/>