It is the third and final day of a strike by Lufthansa pilots that has seen check in counters empty, thousands of flights cancelled and hundreds of thousands of people’s journeys disrupted.

Over 5,000 pilots have gone on strike over the scrapping of a scheme which allowed them to take early retirement and still receive a proportion of their pay.

And despite the cancellations and disruptions some travelers were sympathetic with the pilots’ plight.

“The strike has to happen,” said one man, “I think. I have a lot of understanding. I haven’t been affected by the strike, but I have a lot of understanding for it.”

Passenger, Dietlind Lemm, on the other hand, was not so supportive.

“I don’t think much of it. It is affecting many thousands of people. The pilots earn well, so you could expect them to save enough for when they retire. Who else is able to retire at 55?”

The walkout is expected to cost the airline tens of millions of euros. About 700 flights were cancelled Thursday at Frankfurt, which is Europe’s third biggest hub.

Lufthansa is aiming to return its flight schedule to normal on Saturday.