Strike snarls flights, disrupts 150,000 Lufthansa passengers

Lufthansa grounded more than 1,350 flights Monday and Tuesday – about half of its daily schedule – as it deals with yet another strike by its pilots.

Reuters reports "the canceled short-, medium- and long-haul flights will affect 150,000 passengers and wipe another single-digit million euro sum off the airline's earnings, according to analyst estimates."

The two-day strike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots union targets short- and medium-haul flights from midday Monday through Tuesday and long-haul flights throughout much of Tuesday.

The strike is the ninth by Lufthansa this year by pilots, who are upset by the carrier's plan to phase out early retirement options for pilots. The BBC notes pilots "are currently able to retire at the age of 55 and receive up to 60% of their pay until the standard retirement age of 65." Lufthansa says it cannot afford that scheme as it faces increased competition from both low-cost rivals in Europe and expanding Middle East airlines.

"They should have their money, but for us this is all very obstructive," Lufthansa passenger Elfriede Bretagne is quoted as saying to Reuters TV in Frankfurt, home to Lufthansa's busiest hub. "If you want to go somewhere on vacation and have it ruined for you, it's not ok. They should sit down and come to an agreement."