Lufthansa Compensation

Most Effective Tactics to Get It

TravelD
7 min readSep 30, 2019

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Do you know how to defend your rights as a passenger? If you had problems with your flight, check out this info about Lufthansa compensation to see what you can get.

Table of contents

  1. Must-Know Info about Lufthansa Delays and Cancellation
  2. Lufthansa Spoiled Your Plans with Cancellation
  3. Lufthansa Flight Delay Compensation Details
  4. Rules for Reimbursement in Case of Lufthansa Overbooking
  5. Effective Tactics to Use to Protect Your Rights

Must-Know Info about Lufthansa Delays and Cancellation

Whether you regularly travel by plane or once in a while, you cannot avoid flight delays or cancellations. It happens everyday and to everyone. The thing is do you know how to deal with such situations effectively?

EU261 regulation took place not so long ago. However, the results of these standards are remarkable. Today, if you know how to protect your rights as passenger, you can be compensated for all the troubles you come across.

If you meet all the responsibilities as a passenger, you can receive compensation from €250 to €600. Not to mention the reimbursement for additional expenses. Check out the information below to see how it works.

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Lufthansa Spoiled Your Plans with Cancellation

It should be noted that Lufthansa operates in 18 flights within Germany and over 190 flights in more than 75 countries around the world. Being a huge leading airline, it deals with over 103 million passengers a year. It does it best to offer quality service, still, some inconveniences often occur.

So, what to do if your departure was cancelled?

First and foremost, you need to check whether both parties met all the responsibilities. In other words, you as a passenger must meet particular rules and standards as well as the air service. Let’s have a look.

As a passenger you must:

  • have a valid ticket with a confirmed reservation
  • arrive at the airport and check in no later than 45 minutes before the departure

For its part, in case of a cancellation an airline must:

  • inform you about the situation no later than 14 days before your departure
  • inform you about the cancelling situation within the time period of 14–7 days and provide you with an alternative flight that departs no more than 2 hours before your original flight and arrives no more than 4 hours after your original arrival was planned
  • inform you about the cancellation less than 7 days and offer you an alternative flight that departs no more than 1 hour before your original flight and arrive no later than two hours after the scheduled time

If a company fails to meet the above mentioned requirements, you’re entitled to Lufthansa flight cancellation compensation of €250– €600, depending on the distance of your flight. The farther the flight, the bigger the compensation:

  • less than 1500 km — €250
  • 1500–3500 km — €400
  • more than 3500 km — €600.

It’s also worth mentioning that in case the flight is called off, an airline is to provide you with two possible options: alternative flight or a full refund of your ticket. You may choose yourself what options suit your needs the best.

Unfortunately, there’s another tricky thing to keep in mind. That is the reason for calling off your departure. In other words, whose fault was it?

If it was the fault of the air service that caused the inconvenience, then your situation may qualify for money reimbursement. However, if it was because of some extraordinary circumstances, you’re not entitled to Lufthansa flight compensation.

There’s always a ‘but’ though. Check out with a professional like AirHelp whether the situation is really considered to be extraordinary or an air service just claims so to avoid paying you the money.

Lufthansa Flight Delay Compensation Details

Despite being a huge company with considerable number of aircraft, statistically Lufthansa does it best to be punctual and client-oriented. 81% of the this airline is on time. Still, there’s 19% of inconvenient situations left and we’re here to show you how to deal with them.

How much time should the departure be delayed for you to receive money reimbursement? Below there are the figures for various flights:

  • Small distance (up to 1500 km) — delay for more than 2 hours
  • Medium distance (1500–3500 km) — for more than 3 hours
  • Long distance (above 3500 km) — for more than 4 hours

To put it simply, you’re entitled to money reimbursement if you arrived at your destination later than 3 hours after the planned time, because of the delay (in case the delay was the fault of the airline).

But for compensation, you have the rights to receive special treatment. In other words, you are to get free snacks and refreshments from the air service. Plus, you can make two phone calls or send 2 emails/faxes.

Don’t worry if the delayed departure means spending the night at the departure destination. An air service is responsible for providing you with a hotel accommodation, as well as cover the transport costs to and from the hotel.

And what if you cannot wait for the delay? In case your flight was delayed for more than 5 hours, you have the rights to cancel your departure and ask for a full refund. Plus, if needed, ask for a return ticket to the original destination at the earliest convenience possible.

One question remains. How to calculate the exact amount of money to be compensated, as there are many details that influence it?

If you have troubles defining the number of you reimbursement, don’t hesitate to turn to expert assistance. For example, AirHelp has been defending thousands of clients for years. This company knows a thing or two about how to get what’s yours. More details are available here.

They will tell you all you need to know about your rights and ways to protect them. Through years of experience, this professional service scrutinized all the pitfalls of EU261 and feels confident in its knowledge. For this reason, feel free to ask for help, as this will ensure your rights being protected.

Rules for Reimbursement in Case of Lufthansa Overbooking

Another thing that may happen is overbooking. This is quite a common practice, so here’s what you should know about.

To begin with, in such a situation you have the right for free services from the airline. They include food and drinks, the possibility to contact someone you need by calling 2 times or sending 2 emails/taxes.

What is more, an air service company is required to provide you with an alternative flight, known as re-routing. This is how you can get to your planned destination at the earliest convenience, and most importantly under comparable conditions.

It should be noted that in case your rerouting ticket is cheaper than the original one, you have the right to receive a compensation of:

  • 30% of the ticket for up to 1500 km flights
  • 50% of the ticket for 1500–3500 km flights
  • 75% of the ticket for above 3500 km flights

In case you were denied boarding, not only you are provided with a rerouting alternative, but you’re also eligible for compensation. The amount of money again depends on the length of your flight. €250, €400, and €600 for short, medium and long flights respectively.

There’s another little detail worth mentioning. The compensation shall be lowered to 50% in the following situations. In case you were offered alternative flight and it arrived at your final destination no more than:

  • 2 hours later (up to 1500 km)
  • 3 hours later (1500–3500 km)
  • 4 hours later (more than 3500 km)

after the scheduled time of arrival of your original flight.

Moreover, if you were denied boarding due to your own fault, you’re not entitled to compensation. Personal reasons may include: health or safety-related situation, or insufficient travel documents.

We understand that being denied boarding, because your flight was overbooked is one of the most upsetting things. As it’s truly the fault of an airline. For this reason, make sure you defend your rights in this situation.

Don’t hesitate to ask an air service to announce all your rights and duties if such a situation occur. This is how you can be sure what to do and how to do it.

Furthermore, if you can’t make heads or tails of any inconvenient situation that happened to you at the airport, because of the airline, feel free to share your burden with experienced professionals like AirHelp. We’ll help you bring the justice.

Effective Tactics to Use to Protect Your Rights

All things considered, let’s provide you with a quick summary of the main tactics and steps to take to get Lufthansa compensation.

  • Be responsible and fulfill your duties as a passenger
  • Check whether your ticket is valid and has a booking
  • Always arrive on time, that is to say, no later than 45 minutes before the departure or according to the scheduled time of a check-in
  • Make sure you know your rights, otherwise always ask to announce them
  • Find out who is responsible for the inconvenience like delays and cancellation
  • Remember that you must be informed about the cancellation no later than 14 days before the departure
  • The airline is required to provide you with alternative flight or a full refund in case of a cancellation
  • Additional costs for accommodation, in case you need to spend the night because of the fault of the airline, must be covered by the company
  • The compensation varies from €250 to €600
  • Offered rerouting doesn’t exclude compensation for inconvenience
  • 5 hours of delay allow you to cancel the flight and ask for a refund, as well as a return ticket back to your original destination
  • Extraordinary circumstances include extreme weather conditions, political issues, and safety risks

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TravelD

Useful and insightful articles on how to overcome flight delays and enjoy your trip.