Lufthansa pilots’ strike enters second day

Departure boards at German airports showed long lists of cancellations on Tuesday morning as crews continued their industrial action over pilots' early retirement arrangements.

“Pilots should be scared [of Lufthansa's position]. Their motto is [the pilots]  take what they're given, and nothing more,” a Cockpit spokesman told Berlin's Tagesspiegel on Tuesday.

Negotiations between Cockpit and Lufthansa fell through on Saturday evening over a deal under which pilots can take early retirement with a large share of their full pay, leading to the ninth walkout since April.

Lufthansa says the strikes have cost a total of €170 million.

Pilots say they also want to “make a contribution to the future of Lufthansa for better or worse” as the board mulls the airline's strategy for the coming years, the spokesman said.

But that wouldn't work if the board was actively working against staff and “wants to smash pay structures”, he warned.

Many cargo flights had to be diverted from the country's largest airports in Munich and Frankfurt, although Lufthansa said that no flight had to be completely cancelled.

1,400 flights have been cancelled between Monday and Wednesday, affecting around 150,000 passengers.

But an emergency timetable is in effect and running according to plan, a Lufthansa spokesman said, with the aim of resuming service as quickly as possible following the end of the strike.

The strike is expected to end just before midnight on Tuesday.

Flights at subsidiary Germanwings are not affected by the walkout.

Passengers can find information about the replacement timetable on the Lufthansa website.

SEE ALSO: Strike cancels 1350 Lufthansa flights