Lufthansa pilots have suspended their strike and agreed to continue negotiations.
The union began their four-day strike Monday, grounding thousands of passengers and canceling an anticipated 800 flights.
Keep reading to find out why the two sides are at odds and what they will have to do to mend the fences.
Lufthansa is Europe’s biggest airline by sales, and with 4,000 pilots walking out, the strike could have been the largest in German aviation history. It’s already caused some major headaches for travelers on Monday.
The pilots’ union staged a walkout Monday over concerns that they could lose their positions to Austrian, Swiss and British pilots desperate to keep their jobs after Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air and British Midlands were bought by Lufthansa.
The union is also upset that Lufthansa cut pilot salaries by 12 percent last year and shot down their offer to increase productivity for the same pay.
Lufthansa management called the pilot’s strike over-the-top and rejected the union’s original offer because of demands for influence on managerial decisions.
The sparring sides will resume talks, but not until at least March 9.
Meanwhile, the airline is scrambling to rebook displaced passengers on flights with other carriers. They’re even turning to trains to help accommodate domestic travelers.
By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Links: BBC, A Lufthansa Pilot’s Take from BBC, Spiegel Online
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