Lufthansa pilots extend strike to three days
March 19, 2015
Vereinigung Cockpit called on Lufthansa pilots on Wednesday evening to extend the ongoing strike to Friday, with short and medium-haul flights facing disruptions.
The first day of the current walk out saw the cancellation of some 750 domestic flights. Around 80,000 passengers planning to travel on short- and medium-haul flights were affected.
The announcement came just hours before the Lufthansa pilots began their second day of strikes, which extended across long-haul and cargo flights.
Flights with Lufthansa's subsidiary carriers, Germanwings and Eurowings, remained unaffected.
Retirement dispute
The ongoing dispute between Germany's flagship air carrier and Cockpit lies at the heart of the airline's plans to compete with low-cost airlines sich as Ryanair and easyJet.
In order to cut costs and expand budget operations, Lufthansa is proposing to raise the age at which its pilots can take early retirement. The airline's pilots are currently currently able to retire at age 55 and receive up to 60 percent of their pay until the normal pension kicks in at the age of 65.
Months of renewed strikes have followed unsuccessful negotiations, which cost Lufthansa around 232 million euros ($245 million) last year alone.
ksb/bk (Reuters, AFP, dpa)