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Pilots and cabin crew for Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, walked out for a full day on Wednesday in Germany, grounding 150 flights out of a scheduled 400, with threats to engage in more strikes. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary insisted that they were prepared to deal with strikes in order to defend their “cost base” and that the strikes had nominal impact on operations, warning that job cuts may result from continued “wildcat strikes.” The airline had come under criticism for hiring some of its pilots through third-party agencies rather than employing them fully; German services union Verdi is asking for significant pay increases for cabin crew. The airline had only recently decided to recognize unions last December in an attempt to improve relations with pilots and relieve staffing inadequacies.