LUFTHANSA-STRIKES Lufthansa pilots walk out on long-haul flights

Record ID: 341987

  • Title: LUFTHANSA-STRIKES Lufthansa pilots walk out on long-haul flights
  • Date: 19th March 2015
  • Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (MARCH 19, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LUFTHANSA PLANES PARKED NEAR TERMINAL, SEEN THROUGH WINDOW WIDE OF PASSENGERS AND DEPARTURES BOARD DEPARTURES BOARD PASSENGERS AT LUFTHANSA ELECTRONIC CHECK-IN MACHINES PAN UP DEPARTURES BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (German) LUFTHANSA SPOKESWOMAN, BARBARA SCHAEDLER, SAYING: "Out of our 85 intercontinental flights which should have departed today, we were able to ensure the departure for more than half of them. Passengers have been informed. We are still working on tomorrow's flight schedule. Tomorrow, 1250 flights are scheduled to depart and 134,000 passengers are booked on these flights. My colleagues from operations are working around the clock to tell all passengers as quickly as possible whether and how they are flying." DEPARTURES BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (German) LUFTHANSA SPOKESWOMAN, BARBARA SCHAEDLER, SAYING: "Thankfully we have very loyal customers. Although we notice a decline in bookings with every announced strike, fortunately it's only for a short period of time. Still, it's a loss of reputation and it's obviously something we would like to get behind us as quickly as possible." LUFTHANSA LOGOS HIGH SHOT OF MARKUS WAHL, BOARD MEMBER "VEREINIGUNG COCKPIT" PILOTS' UNION BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (German) BOARD MEMBER "VEREINIGUNG COCKPIT" PILOTS' UNION, MARKUS WAHL, SAYING: "We felt forced to increase the pressure because after more than a year, Lufthansa is still not willing to constructively look for a solution together with us." PAN ACROSS PASSENGERS WAITING AT TUNISAIR CHECK-IN COUNTERS TUNISAIR SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN HOLIDAYMAKER TRAVELLING TO TUNISIA, HORST SENG, SAYING: "We have been to Tunisia a few times and travelled all over there. It's a relatively safe place. Those who did that are just a bunch of idiots." (SOUNDBITE) (German) PASSENGER TRAVELLING TO TUNISIA, SAID ARIOUA, SAYING: "If we all went into hiding and did not leave our houses we would only support such actions. Especially now it is important to support the Tunisians." PEOPLE IN LINE VARIOUS OF DEPARTURES BOARD SHOWING TUNIS FLIGHT HIGH SHOT OF DEPARTURES TERMINAL
  • Embargoed: 3rd April 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3V0Z5ZRYZK0P66UOQ7X8K93BE
  • Story Text: More than half of Lufthansa's 85 scheduled intercontinental flights were able to depart on Thursday (March 19) despite a strike by pilots over early retirement benefits and cost-cutting efforts, according to a spokeswoman for the German carrier.
    Lufthansa is trying to bring its costs down to levels nearer those of its rivals. The airline is being squeezed by low-cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet on European short-haul routes and by airlines such as Turkish and Emirates on long-haul.
    The strike is "a loss of reputation and it's obviously something we would like to get behind us as quickly as possible," Lufthansa spokeswoman Barbara Schaedler told Reuters Television.
    Pilots at its cargo arm are also on strike but Lufthansa said it was able to carry out all planned cargo flights using volunteer pilots or by shifting times slightly.
    Late on Wednesday (March 18) night, pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said they were extending the strike action to Friday (March 20), this time on short and medium-haul flights at the group's namesake brand.
    Pilot and VC board member Markus Wahl said "we felt forced to increase the pressure because after more than a year, Lufthansa is still not willing to constructively look for a solution together with us."
    Neither side shows any sign of backing down, and industry watchers say the row has the potential to run for a long time.
    The pilots said Lufthansa was trying to erode the qualities that had made it into a successful global airline.
    Lufthansa responded by saying the pilots were damaging a reputation that had taken years to build.
    The row involves early retirement benefits that VC wants to keep but which Lufthansa wants to change for new starters. The pilots also want Lufthansa to enter joint mediation on a number of other outstanding issues, such as pay and bringing costs down on flights to tourist destinations.
    Holidaymakers waiting to check in for a flight to Tunis said they weren't worried about their safety following a militant attack a day earlier on a museum that killed 23 people, mostly foreign tourists.
    "We have been to Tunisia a few times and travelled all over there. It's a relatively safe place," traveller Horst Seng said, adding "those who did that are just a bunch of idiots."
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