Strike by security staff at most major German airports cancels hundreds of flights

BERLIN (AP) — Most of Germany’s major airports canceled scores of flights after security workers launched a one-day strike to step up pressure in a pay disput. The ver.di union called on workers to strike at 11 airports on Thursday: Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Hannover, Dresden, Bremen and Erfurt. All departures for the day from Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart were canceled before the strike started. In Frankfurt, the airport operator said security checkpoints outside the transit area would remain closed on Thursday. It advised passengers planning to start their journeys there not to come to the airport. However, there were connections for transit passengers. Lufthansa planned to operate much of its planned schedule.