An estimated 80,000 passengers are being inconvenienced today with around 750 Lufthansa short-haul European flights cancelled.

 

In addition, the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots union has now announced a new strike tomorrow to follow on with the airline’s long-haul services tomorrow. Short-haul services are not expected to be affected.

 

This brings the number of costly strikes to 12 between the airline’s pilots, staff and senior management in recent times.

 

Once again the union is calling its members out on Thursday, March 19, 2015 from 00.01 to 23.59 Germany-wide and this time it is targeting long haul and cargo flights. [Lufthansa subsidiary airlines German Wings and Euro Wings are not affected-Ed].

 

 

DESTRUCTIVE DISPUTE

In a statement today, the union says it is demanding that ‘transitional care for newly allocated staff’ should remain and it claims that the airline ‘has not moved a millimetre’ on its position with this issue – ‘contrary to their claims’.

 

Once again, the union says it is ‘very sorry’ that this strike will impact on passengers, while Lufthansa has made no comment yet, except to advise passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

 

Strikes and disputes between the union and the airline over pilots retirement ages and benefits and a number if other issues cost the airline an estimated €200m ($212m) last year.