The German cabin crew union UFO claims that it will obviously take much tougher measures than the previously announced strikes to pressure Lufthansa to agree to better conditions for employees, according to Dow Jones.

Talks between UFO and Lufthansa have ended in failure and now an extended strike could be announced shortly after negotiations on non-compensation-related issues broke down, writes Dow Jones.

Lufthansa has confirmed that the talks have failed but hopes that new talks can be resumed in accordance with collective bargaining negotiations and that this will support the mediation process.

The battle has been going on for several months and has resulted in hundreds of flights being canceled.

Lufthansa shares bucked the airline industry trend on Friday, down 0.5 percent at lunchtime in Frankfurt, while news that British Airways owner IAG was boosted by around 6 percent after announcing changes to restrictions on the amount of ownership that can be held by non-EU players. Several of IAG's other industry peers such as SAS, Norwegian and Ryanair were pulled up more than their respective indices.

Source: Direct News Agency