- Title: GERMANY: Strike by Lufthansa pilots enters third day
- Date: 4th April 2014
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (APRIl 4, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE FRANKFURT AIRPORT TERMINAL BOARD SHOWING CANCELLED FLIGHTS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SLEEPING ON CHAIRS LUFTHANSA EMBLEM PEOPLE AT LUFTHANSA CHECK-IN DESK CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF LUFTHANSA EMPLOYEE "CANCELLED" (IN GERMAN ANNULLIERT) ON DEPARTURES BOARD VARIOUS OF TEMPORARY BEDS SET UP INSIDE TERMINAL (SOUNDBITE) (Ge
- Embargoed: 19th April 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Politics,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA2UCA78X2DLSR26VAJ8CYP5002
- Story Text: A strike by pilots employed by the German airline Lufthansa entered its third and final day on Friday (April 4) as the majority of the company's flights remained grounded.
The three-day stoppage planned by over 5,000 pilots has led Lufthansa to cancel 3,800 flights, or around nine out of ten flights.
Lufthansa pilots said on Thursday (April 3) that they hoped to resume talks with management as early as this weekend over a retirement scheme dispute.
Lufthansa has refused to negotiate while the strike is ongoing.
The two sides said on Thursday that they would be open to negotiations after the industrial action comes to an end.
As the pilots have agreed not to strike again until the end of the Easter school holidays, that gives two weeks for talks.
Lufthansa said it hoped to reach an agreement by the start of May, when the holidays come to an end.
The walkout is expected to cost the airline tens of millions of euros and has disrupted the travel plans of around 425,000 passengers.
About 700 flights were cancelled on Thursday in Frankfurt, Europe's third-biggest hub by passenger numbers, and a couple of hundred flights were affected in Munich, airport representatives said.
The pilots are demanding Lufthansa reinstates a scheme that allowed them to take early retirement and still receive a proportion of their pay.
Lufthansa says that now the maximum age at which pilots can still fly has been increased to reflect longer life expectancies, there is no need for the scheme.
Lufthansa is aiming to return its flight schedule to normal for Saturday (April 5).
The strike is a boon for Germany's state railway company Deutsche Bahn, which is expecting an extra 20,000 customers a day. It normally transports around 360,000 people a day. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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