Lufthansa pilots on 24-hour strike

News of the strike pushed Lufthansa stock down

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Lufthansa pilots have decided to go ahead with a 24-hour strike that will disrupt flights throughout Thursday.

Flight delays and cancellations are expected to wreak havoc for travellers, with between 300 and 500 flights due to be grounded.

The pilots are turning up the heat after breaking off contract talks with Germany's biggest airline. They threatened to step up walkouts if they don't get a better offer.

News of the strike pushed Lufthansa stock down nearly three percent to 21.51 euros ($19.15) in Frankfurt trading.

The action is expected to keep hundreds of pilots at home instead of in the air, according to Niels Stueben, spokesman for pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit.

A 12-hour stoppage a week ago grounded some 370 flights and disrupted travel for 30,000 passengers.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, Lufthansa said it would use non-union pilots to guarantee that 17 long-haul international flights will get off the ground.

It also listed more than 38 domestic and inter-European flights that will be running.

Blasting the strike as "irresponsible," Lufthansa said it could not guarantee that countless other flights wouldn't be cancelled, forcing it to give passengers full refunds.

The strike will affect only flights originating in Germany. Lufthansa said it had offered the pilots a 26 percent wage increase in 2001, the first year of a four-year package.

Pilots rejected that early on Wednesday, saying a four year contract dilutes the overall raise to just over two percent a year because the profit-sharing and inflation components couldn't be guaranteed.

Lufthansa strike strands thousands
May 4, 2001
Lufthansa pilots vote in favor of strike
May 3, 2001

Lufthansa

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.