German rail strike gives boost to Deutsche Bahn competitors
23/01/2024 10:37
BERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) -
Germany's longest-ever rail
strike
is offering a boost to transport companies, who have
reported a surge in bookings as people look for alternative
travel options on the roads and in the skies.
"Demand has more than doubled," said a spokesperson for
FlixBus, which operates intercity bus services across Europe.
The increase in bookings has been stronger than during
previous strikes at state rail operator Deutsche Bahn, the
spokesperson added.
Train drivers are set to strike from Wednesday morning
until the following Monday evening, the GDL union's longest
walkout yet in a months-long dispute over wages and working
hours.
Deutsche Bahn has warned of massive disruptions to its
network nationwide during the six-day strike.
Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa LHAG.DE has seen
"additional bookings for its domestic German flight connections
and is deploying larger aircraft on various routes" to boost
capacity, a spokesperson said.
Car rental companies Sixt SIXG.DE and Europcar, which
operate a network of 350 and 300 stations across Germany,
respectively, also said bookings had increased for the coming
days.
"We are currently observing a significant increase in demand
throughout Germany this week," a Sixt spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Nette Nöstlinger and Rene Wagner, Editing by
Rachel More)
((Annette.Noestlinger@thomsonreuters.com;))