Lufthansa in a statement said it stood by its position that “the reasons for the strike were not defined clearly enough” and said it will decide its “next steps” on Wednesday. The company had to resort to cancellation amid an ongoing strike by its employees.
Lufthansa had sought to challenge the legality of the industrial action through court injunctions but lost a key bid after the labour court of Darmstadt, which has jurisdiction for Frankfurt and Munich airports, approved the strike.
Cabin crews started a series of walkouts on Friday in a long-running dispute over early retirement benefits and pensions and have now forced the cancellation of almost 4,000 flights, disrupting the travel of more than 430,000 Lufthansa customers.
Latest reports suggest that Lufthansa has cancelled as many as 941 flights, giving tough time to flyers in the process.
The strike is the result of a long-standing dispute between Lufthansa and the union over retirement pay. The airline’s strategy hinges on developing its Eurowings division into a cheap arm, raising concerns among mainline employees.
“We put it off for too long”, he said, adding that Lufthansa had made errors in the past by giving in to striking workers.
Despite the massive disruptions, the airline seems no closer to an agreement with the cabin crew union UFO, which has suggested more walkouts could be coming. Passengers can also reschedule their plans through the website.
Lufthansa, which says it needs to cut costs in order to compete with budget rivals and leaner Gulf carriers, has said it is open to mediation, provided the union calls off the strikes.
Cancelled flights appear on a board in a terminal at the airport as flight attendants of Lufthansa airline went on strike for the fifth day in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, November 11, 2015. “We want to find solutions, and we will find them, but we should make Lufthansa strong together”, personnel head Bettina Volkens said.
