Lufthansa pilots stage new strike

Lufthansa flights face further disruption

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Lufthansa pilots have launched a fresh strike Thursday after pay talks with company bosses broke down.

The pilots are seeking an average wage increase of 30-35 percent to compensate for low pay increases during the early 1990s when the airline's finances were stretched

The Vereinigung Cockpit union has pledged to stage 24-hour walkouts every Thursday until an agreement is reached and said it may also escalate strike action.

"The negotiations have broken off without a result," Lufthansa spokeswoman Sigrid Baeumer told the Associated Press.

Georg Fongern, spokesman for the union, told the news agency: "We're facing either a breakthrough or a breakdown," and stressed that this week's strike was to go ahead as scheduled. It will be the third strike in the pilots' campaign for higher wages.

AUDIO CNN's Bettina Luscher: Pilots say they will strike every week 439kb/40secs. AIFF or WAV sound

Flight delays and cancellations have created hardships for travellers. Striking pilots last Thursday grounded more than 900 of 1,100 scheduled flights.

In an attempt to maintain some services, Lufthansa has started an emergency flight programme, bringing in some of its management pilots to fly the planes.

Up to two-thirds of Lufthansa flights are shared with other airlines whose pilots are not taking part in the strike.

Lufthansa claimed it had offered the pilots a 26 percent wage increase in 2001, the first year of a four-year package.

Pilots argue that their pay has fallen behind industry averages and have rejected the offer.

They said a four year contract dilutes the overall rise to just over two percent a year, as profit-sharing and inflation components could not be guaranteed.