Lufthansa passengers face day of chaos as cabin crews strike

Lufthansa passengers faced a day of chaos Friday after a 24-hour nationwide strike by cabin crew forced the German airline to cancel up to 1,200 flights, dpa reported. As the industrial action got underway at major airports across Germany, the union representing the carrier's about 18,000 flight stewards, Ufo, said it was prepared to return to the negotiating table to try to hammer out a compromise. On a normal Friday, Lufthansa carries a total of about 170,000 passengers. This is the third time in a week that the cabin crew have walked off the job in support of a 5-per-cent pay rise and job protection. Lufthansa is offering a 3.5-per-cent but insists on pressing ahead with establishing a new low-wage budget airline.