TEXT OF STORY

Steve Chiotakis: The German airline Lufthansa has asked a judge to step in and stop a four-day strike by pilots that began today. It is already the largest strike in German air history, cancelling hundreds of flights, including many trans-Atlantic routes. From London, Christopher Werth has more.

Christopher Werth: The company has called the strike “disproportionate” and hopes the court will ban the work stoppage within the next 24 hours.

For their part, the pilots say they’re worried about job security. They accuse Lufthansa of shifting work to its other European carriers, which have lower costs and less-favorable conditions for their pilots.

Eric Hyman is with DB Research in Frankfurt. He says the strike will be felt in the U.S.

Eric Hyman: Lufthansa is obviously the major operator from flights from Germany to the United States. However, some passengers may change their travel plans, and other companies can benefit from the strikes at Lufthansa.

The German company estimates the employee action could cost it roughly $34 million a day.

In London, I’m Christopher Werth for Marketplace.