Lufthansa German Airlines and pilots union to resolve labor disputes related to the breakdown of negotiations, about 4,000 pilots at 12:00 on the 22nd began a 4-day strike, leading to Lufthansa in the global abolition of about 800 flights, affecting about 10000 passengers.
Flight grounded
Lufthansa said the strike would "blow" companies operating international flights, is expected to cancel about 800 flights, mostly for international long distance, scheduled to fly to the United States, including New York and Denver and other places of flights.
"We usually operate 1,800 daily flights," Lufthansa said, "Today is expected to operate about 1,000 flights, but it may be canceled more flights."
According to the Associated Press saying Lufthansa subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo, a subsidiary of Germanwings's operations are also affected by the strike.
Lufthansa is expected that the nine years, will allow the company to strike the most serious loss of 65 million euros (about 88 million U.S. dollars).
Most domestic flights and the company's European short-haul flights will operate as usual. Lufthansa-owned Swiss International Airlines, Austrian Airlines, U.S. Airways and JetBlue Airways Ltd British Midland flight from the strike's impact.
Lufthansa is the air transport business alliance "Star Alliance" member. The alliance's 26 airlines that share international air tickets, flight routes.
"Star Alliance" the spokesman Makusilv Digby reminds passengers aboard flights Union in advance to verify their own flights, contact your carrier to determine whether affected by the strike.
Passengers suffer
Germany's Frankfurt Airport will be most affected by the strike, Munich International Airport was hit.
"It makes me angry, I usually travel the morning of Monday," at Frankfurt Airport waiting for a passenger complained that "I now have Sunday evening (in advance) to go tomorrow night train to go home, It was just unpleasant. "
Shane Parkinson's original plan to fly from Frankfurt airport, Sicily, Italy, the results of flights were canceled. He was forced to change his itinerary feel helpless, "although they provide services to us to help us reach the destination, but do not want to help us to upgrade to business class, however, the situation may otherwise be worse."
Ahmed Abdullah originally planned to take a Lufthansa flight from Cairo, Egypt, flew to Frankfurt, and then transfer to a meeting in Slovenia.
"I flew back Friday," Abdullah said, "I hope the strike (when) will end."
Lufthansa Airlines has issued a special flight schedule, listing the normal operation of the adjusted flight information, passengers can check through the Lufthansa official website.
In addition, passengers can also be replaced free of charge to other flights the aircraft or to a switch from train ticket.
Disputes
The face of the moment situation, Lufthansa spokesman Klaus Walther said, "We do not set preconditions for the negotiations open," that if the pilots union "recovery of a series of unrealistic demands are not legitimate agreement ... ... will soon reach. "
Federation on behalf of the driver Joerg Handwerger, said the company in March last year, many pilots have been without a contract with the company's situation at work. "Lufthansa management, although unwilling to admit, but they are not interested in the talks."
Lufthansa now has about 4,500 pilots, of which more than 4,000 members of the Association for the driver.
Pilot union since last May requires companies to pay 6.4%. At the same time, the pilots concerned that companies may have layoffs to reduce expenses, arrange them into some foreign holding companies, such as Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa Italian branch. Low salaries of these companies.
Christopher, vice president of Lufthansa Fufu Franz in a statement that refute this argument was "pure fabrication." He said the company right now there is no lay-offs.
Board member Stefan Lauer said earlier that if the pilots are willing to return to the negotiating table, the company will provide a long-time two-year contract.
International Air Transport Association data show that, Lufthansa in 2008 to 42 million passenger trips carrying capacity among the world's second-largest airline, a record earnings year to achieve the amount of 535 billion U.S. dollars.
Affected by the financial crisis and the impact of fuel price increases and other factors, the company earnings in 2009 dropped by almost 15%, customer base shrank by 3.5%, freight decline in business over 10%.
