FRANKFURT, Nov 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tens of thousands of Lufthansa
passengers faced disruptions Thursday as cabin crew in Germany kicked off a “massive” 48-hour walkout in the biggest escalation yet of a bitter row over pay and conditions.
The strike called by Germany’s UFO flight attendants’ union was scheduled
to start at 2300 GMT on Wednesday and last until 2300 GMT on Friday.
Lufthansa said it was forced to scrap 700 flights on Thursday and some 600
the following day, warning that “around 180,000 passengers will be affected”.
The UFO union said the stoppage would impact all Lufthansa departures from German airports.
Last-minute efforts by Germany’s largest airline to halt the strike failed
after a court in Frankfurt on Wednesday confirmed that the walkout was legal.
Lufthansa said it regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers and
stressed that the group’s other airlines were not affected.
The carrier said it would run an alternative flight schedule where
possible, and that passengers could rebook their journeys for free or swap
their flights for train tickets.
The UFO union argued that the stoppage was necessary because negotiations with Lufthansa bosses were deadlocked.
UFO vice-president Daniel Flohr warned that further strikes could come “at
any time”.
It is also UFO’s biggest call to action since a week-long strike in 2015
hit Lufthansa with mass cancellations.
The union already staged a day-long warning strike last month at four
Lufthansa subsidiary airlines, causing several dozen flights to be axed at
Eurowings, Germanwings, SunExpress and Lufthansa CityLine. — NNN-AGENCIES
