Flights canceled at Cologne and Düsseldorf airports

The one-day warning strike on Thursday was expected to lead to the cancellation of 40 to 190 flights at Cologne/Bonn airport, according to an airport spokesperson, as well as another 205 to 530 in Düsseldorf.

The decision to go on strike was made after three failed rounds of talks with employers, with the German union Verdi demanding the wages for security personnel to be raised by between 1.5 euros ($1.70) and 2.50 euros ($2.83).

The union representative Andrea Becker has called the strike a "last and serious warning" to the employers.

The next round of talks is set to be held on February 5.

Delays until the end of the day

In Düsseldorf, airport personnel distributed water bottles and croissants to waiting passengers on Thursday morning, as the strike caused long lines at security checkpoints. Extra seats in the waiting area were also provided for the delayed passengers, although some of them were still forced to sit on the floor. Many travelers from abroad were completely surprised by the strike.

Passengers were advised to inform themselves about possible delays prior to coming to the airport, to show up earlier than usual and to bring minimum hand-luggage.

The strikes, which started at midnight at Cologne/Bonn and at 03:00 local time in Dusseldorf, were expected to continue until the end of the day.

The pilots of the largest German carrier, Lufthansa, also announced a strike for next Tuesday at Frankfurt airport, as part of a dispute over retirement benefits.

dj/rg (AFP, dpa, AP)