News / Germany

German cabin crew strike forces Lufthansa to cancel 1,300 flights

Wednesday, 06 November 2019 5:23 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 06 November 2019 5:29 PM ]

Passengers queue at the service desk of airline Eurowings at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany, on October 20, 2019 during a strike of the cabin crews of four Lufthansa subsidiary airlines. (Photo by AFP)

Germany’s flagship airline Lufthansa has announced the cancellation of 1,300 flights as cabin crew is to stage a two-day strike to demand better pay.

"As a result of the strike, around 180,000 passengers will be affected by 1,300 flight cancellations," the airline said in a statement on Wednesday.

The announcement came after a Frankfurt labor court ruled in favor of the walkout called by the UFO flight attendants' union, saying the action was legal, rejecting Lufthansa's request for an injunction to halt the strike.

The strike is due to begin at 2300 GMT on Wednesday and last until 2300 GMT on Friday.

The air carrier said it "regrets the inconvenience for the passengers."

Lufthansa announced 700 flight cancellations on Thursday and roughly 600 on Friday.

"This will affect all Lufthansa flights scheduled to leave from airports in Germany," Daniel Flohr, the deputy chairman of the UFO cabin crew union, said in a statement.

PressTV-Strike by airline employees grounds flights in Germany

Cabin crew at four Lufthansa subsidiary airlines stage a day-long strike, causing dozens of cancellations at German airports.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has invited UFO and two rival unions for last-ditch talks on Wednesday evening.

“The situation in the cabins, which threatens to lead to another labor dispute this week is fair neither to our colleagues nor to our customers,” Spohr said in a statement. “A solution can only lie in dialogue.”

The UFO union has said the strike was necessary because negotiations with Lufthansa bosses were deadlocked.

Last month, UFO already staged a day-long warning strike at four Lufthansa subsidiary airlines, including Eurowings, Germanwings, SunExpress and Lufthansa CityLine, causing scores of flight cancellations.

The union calls for higher pay for cabin crew across the Lufthansa group, more benefits and easier routes into long-term contracts for temporary workers.

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