Lufthansa pilots' strike

Lufthansa pilots began a two-day strike on Monday, their ninth walkoff this year in what has become a protracted and costly labor dispute over retirement benefits.

The flagship carrier was forced to cancel 1,350 flights, or nearly half of its scheduled departures, stranding some 150,000 passengers and adding several more millions of euros to the cost of this ongoing dispute with pilots.

Industrial action in this particular row has already forced Lufthansa to slash 160 million euros ($200 million) from its operating profit.

The latest strike revolves around a decades-old early retirement scheme for pilots. Lufthansa wants to scrap the plan for new hires, as it allows pilots to retire at the age of 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay until the normal pension scheme kicks in at the age of 65.

But the trade union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), which represents some 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, is vying to uphold the program. The latest round of talks collapsed last Friday, leading to Monday's strike.

"We just cannot agree on key points," said Jörg Handwerg, a VC spokesman. "Lufthansa basically wants to get rid of the collective agreement and have new colleagues receive no more benefits."

Lufthansa plans to gradually increase the age at which pilots can take benefits as it tries to cut costs amid growing competition from budget airlines and Gulf-based carriers.

Lufthansa said it had made concessions in the latest round of negotiations but remained adamant that it would not permit new pilots, as well as those already with the company, to retire at the age of 55.

Strike to last through Tuesday

The Germany-wide strike began for short- and medium-haul flights at noon on Monday (1100 UTC) and will last until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday (2259 UTC). A strike on long-haul flights will begin at 3 a.m. on Tuesday (0200 UTC) and last until 11:59 p.m. (2259 UTC).

The walkoff has forced Lufthansa to cancel flights over the next four days, most of which are set to affect passengers on Monday and Tuesday. A complete list of cancellations can be found on Lufthansa's website.

Pilots for Lufthansa Cargo will also strike on Tuesday at the same time as the long-haul flights are affected. Flights of the airline's budget Germanwings subsidiary will not be affected.

cjc/ng (Reuters, dpa, AFP)