Berlin’s Brandenburg airport was eerily empty on Wednesday, as every one of the nearly 300 flights scheduled that day were cancelled due to a strike. Most of the 35,000 affected passengers stayed away, but some who had not heard of the strike showed up to quite a surprise. “I have to accept the situation,” said Rodrigo Mascarenhas, who was supposed to travel back to Brazil. “I don’t know the reason of the strike but I believe it’s a good reason for the workers.” Mascarenhas was given a hotel voucher and had his flight rescheduled for the next day. The strike was called by trade union Verdi, demanding a €500 ($540) monthly salary increase for airport workers and ground handling services.