By Erin Banco -
A Duesseldorf, Germany, court reversed its decision Wednesday and ruled that cabin crew at Lufthansa airline working out of Duesseldorf airport can continue to strike. The court had ruled Tuesday that the cabin crew at the city's airport would have to return to work because the aims of the strike were not clearly defined. The decision comes after Deutsche Lufthansa (DE:LHAG) AG filed a court bid to stop the strike.
Lufthansa “continues to hold the position that the strike demands have not been defined clearly enough,” the Cologne, Germany-based company said in an emailed statement, according to Bloomberg.
Lufthansa cabin crew workers have been on strike since Friday over early-retirement benefits and pensions. Lufthansa’s latest offer to the Lufthansa union included a one-time payment of $3,220 per employee and acceptance of the union’s demands on early retirements, but only for current workers.
The strike has forced the cancellation of almost 4,000 flights, disrupting the travel of more than 430,000 Lufthansa customers. Lufthansa said earlier this week the strikes were costing the carrier at least 10 million euros a day.
Officials said Wednesday that the company would not back down and canceled 930 flights, stranding 100,000 passengers. It will also cancel 930 flights Thursday.
"We have to sit it out in order to safeguard our position," Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said at a conference in Frankfurt on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
“Lufthansa will do its utmost to keep the effects of a strike to a minimum and to inform passengers as soon as possible,” the carrier said in a message to fliers post on its website. “For that reason, Lufthansa requests all passengers early on to stay up-to-date by checking the flight status on LH.com.”