Lufthansa grounds 9 aircraft due to industrial action
30-Jul-2008 |
Airline Code [DLH]
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Tags :Continental Europe, Lufthansa
(XFN-ASIA) - Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it is grounding nine aircraft as a result of strikes launched by maintenance staff and is cancelling around 70 flights on the second day of an open-ended strike by the Verdi trade union for higher wages.
Service was cancelled to domestic and European destinations, a spokesman said, but represented just "three percent of all flights" scheduled by the carrier. Long-haul flights were operating normally, he said.
Hamburg Airport spokesman Mika Antila said seven flights to Munich and to Frankfurt were cancelled for the period between 7.00 am and 9.00 pm. Verdi said the strike actions, which were focused mainly in Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main Monday, were expanded to Berlin and Nuremberg airports, although some personnel in Munich and Leipzig participated in the industrial action.
Verdi wants a 9.8% pay hike over a year for around 50,000 workers, while Lufthansa has offered 6.7% over 21 months. Verdi said it was doing what it could to avoid inconveniencing travellers while it ratcheted up the pressure on Lufthansa.
Verdi's chief negotiator, Erhard Ott, said "The goal of the strike is not to hinder passengers but to increase the cost to the company, noting that ordering catering from other firms or docking planes in other hangars was "very pricey". He added that Lufthansa had already seen a decline in reservations in recent weeks as wary passengers booked with other carriers.
Date posted: 30-Jul-08
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Lufthansa grounds 9 aircraft due to industrial action 
