Lufthansa pilots extend strike into second week

Lufthansa Monday said it would cancel more than 1,700 flights for the following two days after its principal pilots union extended strike plans into a second week. Lufthansa last week had to cancel thousands of flights after pilots grounded much of the German flag carrier’s operations over four days of strikes in a protracted dispute over employment terms. Each strike day cost the airline about US$10.6m. Lufthansa’s main pilots union, Vereinigung Cockpit, late Sunday said it had called on pilots for short-haul flights not to report to work on Tuesday. The union has also appealed to pilots flying mid-haul and the more lucrative long-haul services to join the walkout on Wednesday. Lufthansa said about 816 of 3,000 flights would be canceled Tuesday, affecting around 82,000 passengers. The next day 890 flights will be grounded, with 98,000 passengers affected. The airline, which said it was ready to resume talks with pilots, failed in its bid to get a German court to block the strike. The court said Lufthansa was appealing the decision. Similar motions last week failed. Analysts at Goodbody Stockbrokers said the impact on Lufthansa goes beyond the immediate costs of the strike. Bookings into the busy December holiday period could weaken amid uncertainty over future strikes. Jörg Handwerg, a labor representative, said the strike was being renewed—after no walkout Sunday or Monday—because talks with the carrier failed to bridge differences over pay increases and other issues. Lufthansa said it was disappointed the union wasn’t willing to continue with talks and was instead escalating the conflict. Lufthansa said the six days of strikes—including the next two days—will have caused 4,461 flights to be canceled, and disrupted the travel plans of more than 525,000 passengers.<br/>