Pilot deal gives Ryanair clear skies for Christmas in Germany

Ryanair has reached an agreement on wages and benefits with the main German pilot union that will ensure there is no repeat of strikes that disrupted flights in the country before last Christmas. The VC union, which was responsible for Ryanair's first ever pilot strike a year ago, said the two sides planned to sign a full collective labour agreement by next March and no industrial action would be taken before then. Ryanair, which has faced a series of strikes across Europe this year, has made significant progress in union talks in recent weeks and has said it hopes to come to agreements with unions in all its main markets before the end of March. Germany was the last major market where Ryanair did not have an agreement with pilots. <br/>