Security strike at German airports

Stuttgart was the first airport to see work stopped on Monday. The three airports - Hamburg, Stuttgart and Hanover - are among Germany's 10 biggest, with a total of 80,000 passengers snaking their way through the security lines on any given day.

"This means longer wait times for clearance," Ver.di Secretary Bernd Wuttig said.

Ver.di called the strike, which began with the early shift on morning at the airports in Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Hanover, to back up its demands for pay rises, particularly for workers who conduct pre-flight security checks on passengers and luggage. Ver.di is demanding an increase in wages of between 70 cents and 2.50 euros per hour ($0-79 - $2.83) for the security personnel.

"Security comes at a price," said Petra Gerstenkorn, a member of the executive board of the trade union before the strikes were due to begin.

Hardest hit in terms of volume of traffic was expected to be Hamburg, where an airport spokesperson said around 40,000 passengers could face delays or cancellations.

Germany's flag-carrier airline, Lufthansa, said on Sunday that it had canceled 18 flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt as well as Hamburg and Munich, in anticipation of the walkout.

In Hamburg on Monday morning, members of the local media posted photos of long lines on Twitter and advised that security lines were taking three to four hours to clear.

Passengers advised to arrive early

A spokesperson for the airport in Stuttgart warned that passengers could face delays of up to an hour when passing through security, despite the fact that additional workers had been called in. She also said that as a precaution, passengers were advised to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to their flight's planned take off.

On average, the security workers who have walked off the job in Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Hanover, process around 80,000 passengers per day.

Apart from the airport passenger-screening staff, many Ver.di security guards at military bases or nuclear power facilities in Germany were also to be off the job on Monday.

Travelers in Germany have become increasingly accustomed to delays over the past several months, due to short-term strikes called by unions affecting either airlines, airports or the country's national passenger rail service.

pfd/rg (dpa, Reuters)