UPDATE - Lufthansa cancels 1,300 flights amid strike call

UPDATES WITH LUFTHANSA STATEMENT, CHANGES HEADLINE, EDITS THROUGHOUT

BERLIN (AA) – German airline Lufthansa has cancelled nearly 1,300 flights for Thursday and Friday, as its cabin crew announced a 48-hour strike this week.

The company said on Twitter that Lufthansa Group had to cancel nearly 700 flights scheduled for Thursday, and around 600 flights scheduled for Friday due to the strike action.

It urged passengers to check the company webpage for the status of their flights.

Passengers who already booked on a Lufthansa flight to and from Frankfurt or Munich, with a departure on Nov. 7 or 8, were offered free rebooking.

The UFO labor union, which says it represents more than 20,000 cabin staff, called for a 48-hour strike on Thursday and Friday, in a dispute over better pay and conditions.

The cancelled flights were likely to affect about 180,000 passengers.

Earlier on Wednesday, Lufthansa failed to win a temporary injunction from a Frankfurt court to stop the cabin crew strike.

However, a company spokesperson told local media that the airline was filing an appeal against the decision of the Frankfurt Labour Court.