Berlin: Lufthansa has canceled hundreds of flights on Friday as pilots at Germany’s largest airline went on strike for the third consecutive day in an increasingly acrimonious labour dispute.

Nearly 800 short- and medium-haul Lufthansa flights were canceled Friday, including 90 related to an Italian air traffic controllers’ strike. The Vereinigung Cockpit union said it would target long-haul flights Saturday.

The dispute centers on a plan to cut transition payments for pilots wanting to retire early, which the union wants to retain.

Union spokeswoman Ilona Ritter says they’re willing to negotiate but it would “require Lufthansa to demonstrate a serious will” to resolve the dispute.

Lufthansa, meantime, says it already presented a better offer this month, and that by escalating the strikes the union “is moving itself farther away from a solution.”