European airline workers still striking
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Bill Radke: There are more strikes affecting air travel this morning. Just as pilots at German airline Lufthansa agreed to go back to work for the time being, cabin crew at British Airways have voted to strike, and today French air traffic controllers walked off the job, causing cancellations and delays. Reporter Christopher Werth has the story from London.
Christopher Werth: All these strikes are related to one thing: employees across Europe have grown worried about airlines cutting costs.
Cost cutting is also happening in the U.S. But Howard Wheeldon of BGC Partners says that doesn’t mean it will see the same repercussions.
Howard Wheeldon: And if anything, the U.S. airline industry is healthier now than it was a year or 18 months ago. The country as a whole, the economy is improving. There have been some mergers, and that has made a difference. So I think the worst, for the moment, is over in the U.S.
But Wheeldon says airlines have a long road ahead, especially in Europe, where too many carriers will continue chasing too few customers.
In London, I’m Christopher Werth for Marketplace.
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