Lufthansa Subsidiary Cancels 360 Flights As 700 Pilots Strike

Frankfurt, Germany (AHN) - CityLine pilots made good their threat to walk off their jobs as the strike by 700 pilots led to the cancellation of 360 domestic and European flights on Thursday.

The industrial action paralyzed the CityLine hubs in the country including Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf and Berlin, but all Lufthansa flights went on as scheduled.

The pilot-led strike came barely a week after Lufthansa's domestic and international operations were affected by a 5-day job walk-off led by ground and cabin crew. To solve the industrial action, the German carrier agreed to the flight crew's demand for higher wages.

Like the Ver.di Union-led strike, the Cockpit Union-initiated walk off is also over salary increases. Lufthansa offered the CityLine aviators several pay hikes for 18 months, but the pilots rejected the offer for a bigger rate increase, senior Cockpit union official Ilona Ritter said.

Stefan Lauer, personnel director of Lufthansa, lamented the frequent strikes that had hit the air carrier because it created an imposition on passengers and negatively affected the company's reputation and finances.