Thousands hit by Frankfurt flight cancellations
Lufthansa has cancelled 134 flights due to a pilot strike at Frankfurt Airport.
The pilot union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), announced the strike will take place from 5pm until 11pm (4pm to 10pm UK time) tonight, due to an ongoing row.
The action will affect short-haul and medium-haul Lufthansa flights leaving Frankfurt airport and could affect around 25,000 passengers, the airline said.
Lufthansa said the strike would hit business travellers and those going away for the weekend. It coincides with the end of the summer holidays in various German states.
The row is over an early retirement scheme and is the second within a week at the airline, reports Reuters.
Pilots want Lufthansa to maintain a 50-year old scheme that allows pilots to take early retirement at 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay.
Lufthansa, which had tried to scrap the scheme entirely, wants to increase the average age at which its pilots retire to 61, to reflect longer life expectancies and a recent European Union ruling that allows pilots to stay in the job until the age of 65.
The union said yesterday that more strikes could come at any time after today’s action.
Lufthansa said on its website that it regretted any inconvenience adding that it would do its utmost to minimise the impact on passengers.
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive