Frankfurt (dpa) – The patience of Lufthansa customers was put to the test on Saturday as a second day of labour action by the German airline’s flight attendants led to the cancellation of 520 flights.
The airline estimated that around 58,000 passengers were affected by Saturday’s cancellations.
Passengers line up at Lufthansa counters Saturday at Frankfurt Airport after 520 of the airline’s flights were cancelled on the second day of a flight attendants strike. Thousands of passengers were stranded at Germany’s main airport, which bore the brunt of the walkout. The airline estimated around 58,000 passengers were affected systemwide.
The walkout, staged by the flight attendants union Ufo in an attempt to secure retirement benefits, mainly affected Frankfurt airport, where almost all short- and medium-distance Lufthansa connections were cancelled.
Eighteen flights were grounded in Dusseldorf as a result of the strike, including one long-haul flight to New York.
Other German airports were also affected when connecting inland flights failed to arrive.
Lufthansa has been beset this year with repeated strike action by pilots and now Ufo as it fights to compete with other budget carriers.
