Lufthansa pilots' union expands strike to include walkout Tuesday at airline's long-haul fleet
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A planned strike by pilots at Lufthansa has been expanded to include a one-day walkout Tuesday at the German airline's long-haul fleet.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union already had announced a 35-hour strike at Lufthansa's short-haul fleet starting mid-Monday, the latest in a string of walkouts over retirement benefits. It expanded that to target long-haul services from 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) to midnight (2200 GMT) Tuesday.
The two sides are fighting over the pilots' demand that Lufthansa keep paying a transition payment for those wanting to retire early. The airline, facing tough competition from European budget airlines and major Gulf carriers, wants to cut those payments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Lufthansa walkout starts hours after train drivers at Germany's national railway ended a two-day walkout in an unrelated pay dispute.