Strikes cause hundreds of flight cancellations in Germany

Hundreds of flights were canceled on Thursday after public sector workers walked out at seven airports across Germany, local media reported. Employees of the operating company Fraport began their stoppage for better pays at 3 a.m. local time (02OO GMT) in the largest German hub of Frankfurt. The Verdi union called for an increase of 100 euros in monthly wage, saying the action was aimed at heaping pressure on the employers in a wage dispute. Meanwhile, strikes were taking place at airports in Munich, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn, Stuttgart and Hanover. Almost 550 takeoffs and landings, or half of all flights planned for Thursday in Frankfurt, were canceled, a Fraport spokeswoman said. Germany's largest airline Lufthansa had canceled a third of its 1,800 flights nationwide. Passengers, who booked the company's tickets Thursday to or from the seven airports, could rebook "once for free," Lufthansa said. Meanwhile, railway company Deutsche Bahn put additional trains in operation, which meant that all available trains were in use, according to the company.