Lufthansa Cancels Hundreds of Flights as Pilots Strike Begins

Lufthansa has canceled about 750 flights—roughly half of its scheduled 1,400—as pilots on Wednesday began the first of two strike days over retirement benefits and the carrier’s cost-cutting tactics.

The German airline is the latest in Europe to clash with its pilots as carriers compete with low-cost competitors, Reuters reports. Norwegian Air Shuttle and Air France-KLM have both faced strikes in recent months, and Lufthansa alone faced 10 last year.

Wednesday’s strike, affecting mostly shorter flights, is the second strike for the airline this year; a second day of striking, affecting longer flights and cargo flights, is planned for Thursday.

There are currently no firm plans to resume talks between the airline and the pilot’s union.

[Reuters]