MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2022) Lufthansa said it will ground almost all of its domestic flights to and from Munich and Frankfurt hubs on Friday in response to the pilots' decision to walk off the job over failed pay negotiations.
"As a result of the strike action announced by Cockpit union, Lufthansa must cancel almost all flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich," the German flag-carrier said in a statement.
A total 800 Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo flights will be grounded from 00:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Friday (from 22:01 GMT on Thursday to 21:59 on Friday), with more cancellations expected on Thursday evening and over the weekend.
The company said the strike action would affect some 130,000 passengers planning getaways for the weekend and regional holidays. Low-cost flights operated by Lufthansa's subsidiaries Eurowings and Eurowings Discover will not be canceled.
The airline said it regretted unionists' decision to reject its "very good and socially balanced offer" of a 900-euro ($900) increase to the pilots' base salary. Cockpit demands a 5.5% pay raise this year and inflation adjustments in 2023, among other measures that would raise payroll costs for Lufthansa by more than 40%.
