Cabin crew to go on strike at Frankfurt airport

"Friday will be the first day of the week of strikes", cabin crew union UFO says in a Thursday statement quoted by Reuters.

"Of a total 3,000 connections scheduled for today, 290 flights will be cancelled, including 15 intercontinental services", the firm said.

According to Bloomberg , the walkouts will end on Friday, November 13 although no strike is planned for Sunday and no strike is planned at the airport in Munich, where hundreds if not thousands of travelers will pass through because of the end of school vacations in southern Germany.

Lufthansa said it has provisionally booked 2,500 hotel rooms in and around Frankfurt for passengers grounded by the strikes.

Lufthansa canceled almost 10% of its flights on Friday due to a strike by its cabin workers' union.

While UFO had suggested seeking the IGL's inclusion, it was never a requirement for a deal, Nicoley Baublies, the head of the flight attendants union, said by phone.

UFO rejected Lufthansa's proposal in a long-running dispute over savings efforts implemented by the airline as it copes with competition from low-priced rivals such as Ryanair Holdings Plc, Bloomberg reported.

The union also announced a second, much longer walkout on Saturday to turn the heat up on management.

It has been in talks with the main cabin crew union over pay, pensions and working conditions at its main German brands Lufthansa and Germanwings.

While the weeklong strike is coming from the UFO, Lufthansa is at odds with a number of different staff groups over as it tries to cut costs.

He said he did not expect Lufthansa to come around after two years of negotiations.

Status of flights will be available on the Lufthansa website starting Thursday night.