Lufthansa flight attendants launch 24-hour strike

A Lufthansa crew member holds a poster in front of the airline’s logo at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. Lufthansa flight attendants escalated their bitter pay dispute on Tuesday, going out on strike at three German airports — including the two biggest, Frankfurt and Munich — in a showdown with an airline determined to bring down costs. AP

BERLIN – Lufthansa has cancelled about two-thirds of its flights after cabin crews walked off the job at airports around the country in an escalating battle with Germany’s largest airline.

However, signs are emerging that the two sides may be prepared to return to the negotiating table.

Union chairman Nicoley Baublies told The Associated Press at Frankfort airport early Friday that he had talked on the phone with Lufthansa during the night, and that the two sides had agreed to call in a mediator to help them settle their dispute.

The flight attendants, represented by the UFO union, walked off the job at midnight Thursday in a 24-hour strike.

The dispute comes as Lufthansa struggles to fend off challenges from budget carriers and government-owned airlines in the Persian Gulf.