Nonrevers Beware: Lufthansa(Germanwings) Strike...

LH wants to continue talks with its pilots union after the group said it could widen the walkout Friday at subsidiary Germanwings to the company's main airline, Lufthansa. A spokesman for the pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit had said that if the parent company doesn't come up with a new offer on retirement benefits, it could go on strike this Sunday or early next week—and not just at Germanwings but also at Lufthansa's passenger and cargo divisions.

In response, Lufthansa said that it signaled to the union a willingness to compromise, but it wouldn't say if it would present a new offer.
Pilots at Germanwings walked out on Friday morning, forcing the Lufthansa subsidiary to cancel 116 flights. Of those canceled, 48 were at the Cologne Bonn airport and 36 at Stuttgart airport. It was a one-day walkout.
Lufthansa said Friday's half-day of strikes would cost the airline millions of euros. An analyst had estimated the strike to cost between €2 million and €3 million ($2.6 million and $3.9 million).
The strike by Vereinigung Cockpit is the fourth this year to hit Lufthansa, which has had to slash its full-year operating profit outlook because of losses stemming from protests by pilots, security and ground personnel.
The current dispute centers on shifts in pilots' retirement benefits stemming from changes to retirement ages. Under current rules, pilots can retire at the age of 55 and receive 60% of their wages. The European Union recently changed pilot-licensing rules, allowing them to fly until the age of 65.