For Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr it's rock solid.
First he got the bad news from Rome that he probably won't get a chance in the bidding process for Alitalia's successor ITA.
Now, with the pilots' strike on Friday, he's in for a lot of trouble with business travelers and vacationers.
Because the industry union VC declared the negotiations for more than 5 percent salary and inflation compensation from 2023 onwards to have failed.
However, the haggling over better conditions for a professional group that is one of the top earners in the group is only the formal hook for this collective bargaining conflict.
In fact, with their demand for a minimum fleet size for the Lufthansa core brand, the pilots are concerned with the long-term security of their jobs.
A guarantee for the existence of Lufthansa's long-haul jets was in doubt as long as there was uncertainty about the economic consequences of the Corona crisis.
But with a view to the improving economy in aviation, Spohr wants to invest more in the lucrative business with overseas routes.
But the pilots missed the opportunity to help control the fleet expansion in their favor with their abrupt halt to negotiations.