Photo Gallery Strike Grounds Lufthansa Flights
Lufthansa flight attendants on Friday have targeted all of Germany's major airports with a 24-hour walkout, the most extensive strike in a series of work stoppages after 13-month salary negotiations broke down recently. The result has been the cancellation of over half of the airline's flights. Here, Lufthansa planes lined up on the ground at the airport in Düsseldorf.
Every traveler's nightmare: Cots have been set up at Frankfurt Airport to provide some measure of comfort to the thousands of stranded travelers expected on Friday.
About half of Lufthansa's 1,800 scheduled flights were canceled on Friday, creating long lines and passenger frustration. Prior planning, however, resulted in a calmer situation than that during previous strikes in the dispute.
A closed Lufthansa desk at Tegel Airport in Berlin. The airline's cabin personnel began brief walkouts at the end of August to put pressure on the airline to solve the ongoing labor conflict.
Striking cabin personnel in Düsseldorf. They are represented by the union UFO and are demanding higher pay. They are also fighting Lufthansa efforts to use temporary workers and cheaper contracts as the airline attempts to slash costs.
UFO union head Nicoley Baublies. On Friday there were indications that negotiations might resume soon with the help of a mediator.
Munich too has set out cots should they become necessary. If a mediator steps in, it would bring about an immediate end to the strikes under German law.
This sign reads "canceled," in German on Friday. Last week, a similar strike targeting only the airport in Frankfurt led to a temporary closure of the terminal serving European destinations due to a lack of gate space.
Passengers in Frankfurt. Some 100,000 travellers have been affected by the strike on Friday. The day-long work stoppage will cost Lufthansa some 10 million euros.
Lufthansa has arranged for passengers within Germany to rebook for free on the train. German rail provider Deutsche Bahn has added additional trains to help handle stranded travelers.
Friday is a "dark day for more than 100,000 Lufthansa customers," company spokesman Klaus Walther told German news channel N-TV. "But it is also a difficult day for every Lufthansa employee who is trying to reduce the effect on customers to the extent possible." Here, signs point passengers to a website for more information.
During the course of 13-month-long negotiations, the flight attendants' union has demanded a 5 percent wage increase and guarantees against job outsourcing. But Lufthansa, under pressure to cut costs and increase revenues, has offered a 3.6 percent wage increase in exchange for longer working hours.
