Lufthansa cancels about 1,700 flights amid strike

Ground staff at Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, walked off the job Monday on a one-day strike that prompted the company to cancel most of the day's scheduled flights and left it complaining of "excessive" union tactics, AP has reported.

The strike by airline technicians and service personnel across Germany started in the early hours. Lufthansa moved in advance to head off chaos, announcing on Saturday that it was canceling almost all scheduled short-haul flights and the majority of long-haul services.

In all, the airline planned to operate only 32 of more than 1,700 scheduled flights.

The ver.di union announced the "warning strike" — a tactic commonly used to raise pressure in wage talks — on Friday. Lufthansa last week rejected its demand for wage increases of 5.2 percent over the next year and job guarantees, countering with a complex offer that foresees smaller raises over a 29-month period. Ver.di, which is negotiating for some 33,000 workers, argued that the offer would mean wages falling in real terms.

The airline allowed passengers with flights scheduled Monday to rebook for free, and said those booked on canceled German domestic flights could convert their tickets into vouchers to travel by train.