Lufthansa was forced to cancel six long-haul services from Germany today and 70 short-haul flights following a third day of strike action, but services from the UK remain unaffected.
A Lufthansa spokeswoman said the disruption affected 4% of services, adding: “There are a lot of inaccurate figures being bandied about. Some are completely wrong.”
Return flights from Frankfurt to New York, Dallas, Dubai, Kolkota and Calgary and from Munich to Chicago were cancelled. Passengers were re-booked on alternative Lufthansa services or with the airline’s Star Alliance partners.
The strike involving ground staff and cabin crew in German public-sector union Verdi began at midnight on Sunday. Lufthansa claimed disruption on Monday was minimal and Tuesday’s strike led to 3% of flights being cancelled. However, the strike’s impact is likely to escalate the longer it continues.
Verdi represents more than 50,000 airline and airport workers in Germany and the strikers are demanding a 9.8% pay rise when Lufthansa has offered 6.7% over 21 months.
The airline spokewoman said: “We are doing everything possible to minimise disruption and find a solution.” But she conceded further disruption is likely.