GERMANY: Lufthansa cancels some 500 flights as pilots of its regional carriers Cityline and Eurowings continue strike

Record ID: 339281

  • Title: GERMANY: Lufthansa cancels some 500 flights as pilots of its regional carriers Cityline and Eurowings continue strike
  • Date: 24th July 2008
  • Summary: (EU) MUNICH, GERMANY (JULY 22, 2008) (REUTERS) WIDE OF PARKED PLANES AND TERMINAL AT MUNICH AIRPORT, SERVICED BY LUFTHANSA CARRIERS CITYLINE AND EUROWINGS TOWER PARKED PLANES SEEN THROUGH PHONE TRUCK DRIVING PAST LUFTHANSA REGIONAL PLANE'S TAIL (EU) FRANKFURT, GERMANY (JULY 23, 2008) (REUTERS) PASSENGERS STANDING BELOW DEPARTURES BOARD AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT WOMAN LOOKING AT
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVAANWYWUEZNQDNMI9GBCR20AKX
  • Story Text: Germany's largest airline Lufthansa was hit by a pilot strike for the second day on Tuesday (July 23) and cancelled 500 regional flights at subsidiaries Eurowings and CityLine.
    The strike hit passengers at airports across Germany, including Lufthansa's main hubs at Frankfurt and Munich.
    CityLine and Eurowings together operate almost 700 of some 1,800 daily Lufthansa group flights.
    The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union had called on its members to walk out from 1000 GMT on Tuesday until 2200 GMT on Wednesday.
    The dispute between the pilots and Lufthansa has been going on for months. A 24-hour strike at the start of July led to the cancellation of hundreds of Eurowings and CityLine services.
    VC spokeswoman Ilaona Ritter, who is in charge of wage talks at the union, said "we definitely don't want the Cold War to break out."
    Ritter added that "if you deal with things professionally there is always the possibility to talk. We intend to continue doing that."
    Lufthansa says it did not understand the strike because it had offered CityLine pilots a 5.5 percent raise plus one-off payments over 18 months.
    The company has offered Eurowings staff 6.5 percent more pay over 24 months plus one-off payments.

    "The strike action by 'Cockpit' in our view is totally exaggerated," Lufthansa spokesman Klaus Walther told Reuters Television in Frankfurt.
    VC says it has not obtained a suitable offer so far.
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