Lufthansa grounds domestic flights as pilots stage a walkout

Still recovering from a strike action by its baggage handlers, mechanics and flight attendants, Deutsche Lufthansa said it was grounding about 360 flights on Thursday as pilots at its CityLine regional unit struck work over pay.

All airports in Germany served by the division were affected by the cancellations of domestic and regional European flights, though long-haul flights were operating normally.

The Vereinigung Cockpit pilots union wants the CityLine pilots' pay to match their counterparts' wages at Lufthansa's main service. It has rejected Lufthansa's offer to increase CityLine pilots' wages by 5.5 per cent in two steps and pay bonuses of 7,000 euros ($10,800) for captains and 5,000 euros for co-pilots.