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Lufthansa cancels 'majority' of flights

Friday, 7 September 20123 min read

Lufthansa has been forced to cancel a "majority" of its flights today (Friday) due to more strikes by its cabin crew.

It has warned that the 24-hour industrial action will mean the cancellation of around 1,200 flights, equating to two thirds of its schedule, and is also likely to disrupt services into the weekend.

The strike was called by the UFO union on Wednesday over pay and working conditions.

Around two thirds of the airline’s 19,000 crew are members of the union. The union represents about two-thirds of Lufthansa’s 19,000 cabin crew.

The unions are calling for a 5% pay increase and argue that there have been no increases for three years.

But Lufthansa is currently undergoing a €1.5bn cost-cutting programme as it struggles to cope with rising fuel costs and competition from low-cost and Middle Eastern carriers.

by Bev Fearis