Lufthansa says China Olympics flights are top priority

BERLIN — Travelers destined for the Olympics are a top priority for Lufthansa, the airline said Thursday, after it canceled another 28 international flights as a walkout by ground crew entered its fourth day.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG spokeswoman Amelie Lorenz said that flights into Beijing had the highest priority this weekend; the 2008 Beijing Olympics starts Aug. 8. The airline currently operates two flights daily to the Chinese capital from Frankfurt and Munich. It also codeshares with Air China.

"We know that the Olympics (are) coming up, and we know there are many athletes on those flights," Lorenz said.

The airline canceled 128 flights Thursday — about 6 percent of its total capacity — including 28 long-haul flights to destinations in the U.S., Canada and India. So far, though, Lorenz said, no flights to Beijing have been canceled.

Passengers on the canceled flights were being put aboard on later Lufthansa flights or those operated by other airlines.

The cancellations came as Lufthansa officials instigated unofficial talks with members of the labor union ver.di aimed at resuming formal talks between the airline, Germany's biggest, and the union.

Harald Reutter, a spokesman with ver.di, said the union would only resume official talks if the airline fielded a better proposal for wage increases for the 50,000 members — mostly ground service workers and a small number of cabin staff — who work for the company.

The union wants a 9.8 percent pay rise for a year, but Lufthansa has offered 7.7 percent for 21 months, including a one-time bonus payment.

Lorenz said the informal talks were encouraging.

"We are talking again, which is good news," she said.

The open-ended strike started on Monday and has led to several flight cancellations and delays. About 5,000 workers were on strike Thursday, mostly at Frankfurt International Airport, one of Lufthansa's key hubs.

Reutter also said that workers were targeting airports in Berlin.