Lufthansa cabin crew strike leaves thousands grounded

German airline said it will cancel 290 flights Friday, grounding 37,500 passengers, as cabin staff begin a week of walkouts in a long-running battle over savings aimed at fending off competition from low-cost rivals. The flight attendants' union UFO has called a nine-hour strike starting at 1300 GMT, affecting flights to and from the airports of Frankfurt and Duesseldorf. Of the 290 cancelled flights, 23 were inter-continental services, Lufthansa said in a statement.