Overview

• Vereinigung Cockpit scheduled a top-level meeting with Lufthansa for Thursday, saying it will assess the outcome before deciding next steps.
• Lufthansa declined to comment on the talks, while previously stating that agreements must be reached at the negotiating table.
• In early October balloting, about 90 percent of Lufthansa pilots and 95 percent of Cargo pilots participated, with 88 percent and 96 percent approval respectively, exceeding the 70 percent threshold.
• The dispute centers on higher company payments into pilots’ occupational pensions, which unions say have underperformed since the 2017 switch from a guaranteed benefit to a contribution-only scheme.
• Lufthansa calls the demands unaffordable given losses at the core airline and an ongoing restructuring, warning a strike could cancel large numbers of flights at hubs such as Munich based on past actions.