Lufthansa cancels 110 flights due to pilots' partial strike

Berlin, Sep 10 (IANS/EFE) German airline Lufthansa cancelled 110 European and domestic flights Wednesday due to a new round of partial strikes by its pilots based in Munich, affecting around 13,500 passengers, the airline said.

On Tuesday, the airline announced that its intercontinental flights would operate as planned, although delays could be expected.

Early flights were not affected as the strikes did not to begin until 8 a.m. GMT.

Lufthansa officials offered passengers affected by the strike alternative flights or free cancellations. They could also exchange their domestic tickets for train tickets.

It also offered them the possibility of overnight stays in hotels in Munich, as well as beds at the airport for those transit passengers who had to remain in the airport because of visa restrictions.

It was the fourth round of partial strikes by the pilots in their row with the management over early retirement. The pilots want to retire at the age of 55 with 60 percent of their salary, while the airline wants to fix the retirement age at 59.

Lufthansa said Tuesday that it would come up with an offer to end the strike by early next week.

--IANS/EFE

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