Delays across German airports
Flights across Germany face delays as security staff at airports conduct an 18-hour strike over pay. Officials at Frankfurt airport have cancelled 570 of a planned 1,200 arrivals and departures.
220,000 passengers across Germany affected by airport security staff strike
Germany's largest airport Frankfurt International had to cancel hundreds of flights as security workers staged an 18-hour strike over pay. Other airports affected include Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hannover, Dresden, Leipzig/Halle, Dortmund and Erfurt.
German flag carrier Lufthansa has said it will cancel at least 500 flights
Security staff members have walked off the job at nine German airports over pay issues. Rates currently vary nationwide, with staff in some airports in eastern Germany earning around 14 euros hourly, compared with just over 17 euros for their peers in the capital and western parts of the country.
Security checkpoints are empty
Officials at Munich airport said that although the Verdi union called for action there as well, passenger security checks are carried out by a public-sector contractor whose workers would not strike. However, some flights to and from airports affected by the walkout would be cancelled, it said.
German airports experiencing significant flight disruptions
The workers union Verdi which represents about 23,000 aviation security workers in Germany says that it was forced to ramp up pressure, because talks with the employers' association were deadlocked. The union wants wages raised to 20 euros ($23) per hour for workers carrying out passenger, freight, personnel and goods checks at all German airports.
Many flights are leaving empty as the planes are needed elsewhere
Passengers have to wait in a single file line to get through security. Long lines are seen at Frankfurt and Munich airports as passengers deal with the 18-hour walkout of employees of the Verdi union in Germany.
German officials estimate 220,000 passengers affected by strike
Security workers at the smaller Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen airports started their strike at midnight. Frankfurt staffers joined them two hours later, with a view to striking until 2000 local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday.