Lufthansa grounds hundreds of flights in Germany amid workers’ strike

BERLIN (AA) - German flag carrier Lufthansa canceled hundreds of flights on Wednesday due to a one-day walkout by its ground staff at the country’s major airports.

The strike began at 4:00 a.m. local time (0300GMT) and was set to continue until 7.10 a.m. (0610GMT), at Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Dusseldorf airports, affecting over 100,000 passengers.

Lufthansa said it had to cancel around 80% of the flights scheduled for Wednesday, adding that passengers who were affected by flight cancelations were informed by email or via their app.

“Please only come to the airport if your flight has not been canceled. Due to the strike, the rebooking desks are unfortunately not staffed,” Lufthansa said in a statement, adding that canceled flights can be rebooked at the company’s website.

In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, the Verdi union is demanding a 12.5% rise and no less than €500 ($540) monthly wage hike for around 25,000 ground personnel, and a one-time €3,000 ($3,250) bonus to offset a cost-of-living crisis.