Latest Pilot Strike at Lufthansa Disrupts Long-Haul Schedule

Another limited strike by the pilots of Lufthansa Airlines forced the carrier to cancel 84 out of 170 long-haul flights on Tuesday. The German airline expects the strike to extend into at least Wednesday, effecting short-haul services by both Lufthansa and its Germanwings subsidiary. Lufthansa flies some 1,500 flights a day in total, and plans call for Wednesday’s action to affect far more flights than did Tuesday’s walkout.  

Lufthansa pilots have staged several short strikes over the past year in protest of plans by the airline to cut early retirement benefits. The airline’s pilots can now retire at age 55 and draw 60 percent of their salary until they turn 63, at which point they become eligible for state- and employer-sponsored retirement benefits. Under increasing competitive pressure from low-fare carriers and Gulf-based majors, Lufthansa proposed raising the early retirement age for new-hire pilots from 55 to 60. The sides remain in arbitration over the matter but talks reached a complete impasse last week.