Lufthansa Cabin Crews Strike at Frankfurt and Berlin-UPDATE

Lufthansa jets at Frankfurt Airport

Hundreds of Lufthansa Flights Already Cancelled Tuesday Morning

Lufthansa cabin crew workers have walked off the job once again Tuesday morning making good on their promise to strike.

The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) labor union plans to strike from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM local time at Berlin Tegel Airport, which is the main airport in Berlin. They will also strike from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM local time at Frankfurt Airport.

As of early Tuesday, the Lufthansa website showed 197 national and internationals flights had been canceled due to the strike. “The call to strike action forces Lufthansa to cancel a majority of flights. Unscheduled cancellations and delays of Lufthansa flights must be anticipated,” the airline said, adding that irregularities in flight operations are likely to continue after the end of the strike.

“Lufthansa sincerely regrets that the labor dispute is being waged at the expense of its customers,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement. “The fact that UFO announces strike actions only at short notice creates additional problems for passengers because it will further limit their ability to make reliable travel plans.”

Lufthansa cabin crews launched a strike last Friday which resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations as well.

UFO is striking after not reaching an agreement with Lufthansa over a pay increase, working conditions, and the use of temporary cabin crews.

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Image: Flickr [eisenbahner]

UPDATE – September 4, 2012 – 11:00 AM EDT:

UFO also plans to strike at Munich, which is Germany’s second busiest airport, with an 11-hour walkout starting at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT).

Over 300 Lufthansa flights have been cancelled so far.