Lufthansa to resume flights after cabin crew end strike

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Lufthansa says it hopes to resume flights early on Saturday after cabin crew agreed to end strike action that stranded thousands of air passengers.

The airline had cancelled approximately half of its scheduled 1,800 flights due to the one-day stoppage.

But the UFO union representing cabin staff and Lufthansa have now agreed to enter formal mediation talks to resolve the dispute over pay and conditions.

Lufthansa has also made concessions on the use of temporary workers.

UFO is seeking a 5% pay increase for cabin crew and assurances on jobs.

The union, which represents about two-thirds of Lufthansa's 19,000 cabin crew, argues that its members have had no pay rise for three years.

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Passenger rights
Passengers whose flights are cancelled might have been booked on an alternative flight
Otherwise, they can rebook or receive a refund
No extra compensation will be paid
Some nominal payment may be claimed on some travel insurance policies
Tickets on German domestic flights can be exchanged for rail tickets
Those who face lengthy delays should be given meals and accommodation if necessary
If a trip is cancelled, car rental or accommodation costs will be covered by the tour operator for those on a package deal, or for some of those on premium travel insurance

Another bone of contention had been Lufthansa's use of flight attendants employed by a separate agency on temporary contracts at Berlin airport.

The agency staff work longer hours on a more flexible basis.

UFO's attempts to block the practice in court were rejected by a German judge earlier this year.

But, on Friday, Lufthansa made a major concession by offering permanent contracts to some temporary cabin crew working at Berlin.

"We hope that this step will help UFO to join us in constructive talks to come up with a competitive pay structure for cabin crew," Lufthansa's chief executive Christoph Franz said in a statement.

The airline has also offered to stop fixed-term contracts and halt the use of temporary staff. But, Lufthansa has not improved its offer of a 3.6% pay rise in return for longer hours.

Passenger disruption

Even after flights resume on Saturday, thousands of passengers will still face disruption.

The strike has affected Germany's six main airports including Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich.

A list of cancelled fights has been published by the airline. There is also a list of phone numbers to call for those who are affected.

But, airlines such as British Airways, Air Berlin and Austrian Airlines - owned by Lufthansa but not subject to the dispute - have been flying larger planes on routes to Germany to offer more seats to passengers affected by the strike.

That has helped minimise the disruption to travellers and reduce the need for overnight stays in airport lounges endured by passengers during two earlier strikes.

Lufthansa flies in the UK from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Heathrow, Gatwick and London City to the affected airports in Germany.

The airline is currently undergoing a 1.5bn euro ($1.9bn; £1.2bn) cost-cutting programme to offset rising fuel costs and tackle competition from low-cost and Gulf carriers.

The airline reported a 24% drop in second-quarter profits to 229m euros compared with a year earlier. In May, it announced it
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