Lufthansa strike
February 22, 2010
Germany’s largest airline, Lufthansa, canceled hundreds of flights on Monday after the airline’s pilots' trade union began a strike that may threaten a recovery in Europe’s largest economy.
The airline said it foresaw about 800 flights per day being canceled, totaling 3,200 flights for the week. International routes would be hardest hit by the strike, while most domestic service would remain intact, Lufthansa said.
The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit said on Sunday night that it was in principle ready to negotiate with airline officials, but that Lufthansa was unwilling to give up some of its demands.
Lufthansa also accused the union of inflexibility, claiming some of its demands were illegal.
"We are still prepared to resume negotiations, without preconditions, but then Cockpit needs to be prepared as well to hold talks with no conditions and drop its catalogue of demands, which cannot be fulfilled and is legally inadmissible," a Lufthansa spokeswoman said on Monday.
Outsourcing to partners
The four-day strike could cost Lufthansa more than 65 million euros ($88.4 million) and up to 100 million euros if all flights were grounded, according to estimates by the airline.
Lufthansa pilots are demanding a 6.4 percent pay raise, more influence in company decisions and a commitment that pilots will keep their jobs if Lufthansa shifts routes to affiliate airlines like Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa Italia, where pilots come cheaper.
Around 4,000 pilots were expected to participate in the strike action. Lufthansa on Sunday posted alternative flight schedules and activated hotlines warning travelers to brace for major disruptions and delays.
A Lufthansa spokeswoman on Monday said the company was taking the union to court in Frankfurt, seeking an interim injunction to halt the strike. The case claims the pilots' work stoppage is disproportionate, and that Lufthansa is obligated to protect the company and its employees and shareholders from harm.
The court is set to hear the case on Monday evening, and a decision is expected a few hours later.
"Wrong time"
"This strike comes at the wrong time," Germany's Transportation Minister Peter Ramsauer told the mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "We just cannot have Germany's largest fleet grounded for four days."
Ramsauer said he expected negotiations between union and management to resume on Monday or Tuesday. But he also warned the country's flag carrier and representatives from the German pilots' association against making "unrealistic demands."
"A sensible compromise needs to be found to avoid damaging the German economy," Ramsauer said.
Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings said that despite the strike, it would still be running about 60 percent of its flights.
A list of flights still operating during the strike can be found on the Lufthansa Web site and tickets booked for the strike period can be changed once at no charge, Lufthansa said.
German rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said on Friday that it was preparing to add extra train service to accommodate passengers affected by the work stoppage.
acb/nrt/dpa/AFP/AP/Reuters
Editor: Chuck Penfold