Strike forces Lufthansa cancellations

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Source: Boston.com

Strike forces Lufthansa cancellations
April 12, 2007

BERLIN --Airline Lufthansa AG said Thursday it canceled seven domestic flights after some of its cabin crew staged a brief strike to press for higher salaries.

The Cologne-based airline said the two-hour walkout caused it to cancel seven flights out of Berlin -- to Stuttgart, Cologne, Frankfurt and Duesseldorf -- affecting nearly 450 passengers. Company spokeswoman Stefanie Stotz said the passengers were rebooked on other flights.

The walkout was called by the ver.di service workers' union, which is seeking a 3.4 percent increase in wages for 42,000 members who work for the airline's cabin crew and ground support staff operations.

The brief strike came as the company announced the number of passengers that used the airline last month rose 10.5 percent from March 2006.

The airline said nearly 4.7 million passengers flew last month aboard 57,889 flights, with demand rising for flights in Europe and to destinations in Asia, the Middle East and North America.