If you’ve recently had a flight booked with Lufthansa and received a headache of an experience, you’ve come to the right place.
Whether your flight was delayed, overbooked, or cancelled, you have the right to be compensated for the inconvenience you faced.
Since Lufthansa is an EU airline, they have to follow the regulations outlined in Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004. We don’t let them fall short of their duty to compensate you for your time wasted.
In 2018, Reuters reported that €500 million was spent on Lufthansa flight delay compensation.
We take our job seriously to get YOU the money you deserve for the trouble you faced. No passenger should have to face a terrible air travel experience, but when you do, we’re here to help.
Finding out if you’re eligible for compensation, and then figuring out the process on how to get it may seem daunting, but this guide will cover everything you need to know.
We will go through:
- How much money Lufthansa owes you for your delay or cancellation
- Your passenger rights, including how to know if you’re eligible to make a claim
- The fastest, stress-free way to submit a claim
How to claim compensation from Lufthansa?
Claiming compensation from Lufthansa is super easy with our Compensation Calculator on ClaimCompass.
The process is fast and stress-free since we take care of all the steps for you.
The alternative option you can do is email Lufthansa’s customer service department or fill out the Feedback form on their website.
This process is lengthier and may drag on for several weeks, or even months, with back and forth questions and requests for more information.
Lufthansa pay compensation by cheque, bank transfer or by gift card. They can only give you a gift card if you agree to receive one. Otherwise, they must give you real money.
Lufthansa Flight Delay Compensation
When can I claim a flight delay compensation from Lufthansa?
EC261 protects your rights in the case of delay or cancellation.
Since Lufthansa is an EU airline, you can claim flight compensation if:
- Your flights leaves from the EU
- Your flight leaves from an outside country to arrive in the EU
Keep in mind that Lufthansa has to be responsible for the flight disruption for you to submit a valid compensation claim. If the delay was caused by "extraordinary circumstances", then the German airline cannot be help responsible and they are not liable to compensate their passengers.
You’re eligible to receive flight delay compensation if your flight is delayed by at least 3 hours at arrival. The amount of compensation for flight delays depends on the distance of your flight, and how long the delay is.
How much compensation will I get from Lufthansa for my delayed flight?
If your delayed flight meets the requirements for compensation, Lufthansa must give you:
- €250 for flights that are 1500km and less
- €400 for flights that are between 1500-3500km (or flights that are over 1500km in the EU)
- €600 for flights that are 3500km and above
There is one exception: under EU Regulation 261, for long-haul flights of more than 3,500km, the airline may reduce the amount of compensation by 50% when the delay at arrival is between 3 and 4 hours. You'd only receive 300€ instead of 600€ then.
Can I get a refund for my delayed Lufthansa flight?
If you’re stuck waiting for a delay that’s longer than 5 hours, you’re officially eligible for a refund. Depending on the situation, you will receive either a partial or full refund for your flight delay.
The cost of the ticket must be refunded to you within seven days. If your journey included flight connections, you will be refunded for the travel not completed.
If you were flying to a destination for a specific purpose (such as a conference), and now you’re unable to attend, you will get compensated for the amount of travel you already completed.
Lufthansa must also cover the cost of a return flight back to the point of first departure as soon as possible.
If you’re wondering if you’ll still receive compensation for the delay, the answer is yes! On top of the flight refund from the delay of 5+ hours, you will get compensated for the time you spent waiting.
Lufthansa Flight Cancellation Compensation
When am I eligible for a cancelled flight compensation from Lufthansa?
If worse comes to worst, and your flight has been cancelled, you’re most likely entitled to compensation from Lufthansa.
Unfortunately, no compensation is owed to you if your flight was cancelled for extraordinary circumstances, such as:
- Bad weather conditions
- Political instability
- Strikes
- Security risks
You also won’t be eligible for compensation if the flight was cancelled far in advance. More specifically, you won't receive a cancelled flight compensation:
- If you were informed 14 days before departure
- If you were told about the cancellation between 14 and 7 days before departure and your department flight leaves less than 2 hours before the original departure time (or you arrive less than four hours after the planned arrival time)
- They let you know of the cancellation less than seven days before departure and your new departing flight leaves less than one hour before the original departure time and/or you arrive less than two hours after the original arrival time.
Note: You won’t receive any compensation if it’s your decision to cancel your flight. Howerver, you could get a cancelled flight refund.
What are my air passenger rights when Lufthansa cancels my flight?
When Lufthansa cancels your flight, you have the right to be re-routed to your destination at a comparable level. For example, if you had a Business class seat for the original flight, Lufthansa should not give you an Economy seat for the re-booked flight.
Depending on the wait time, you’re also entitled to a “right of care”, which includes:
- Complimentary meals and drinks
- Hotel for the night, if the flight is the next day
- Transport costs to and from the airport
Lufthansa Overbooking Compensation
Can I claim compensation if Lufthansa overbooked my flight?
You hear your name being called over the intercom and you go up to the customer service desk, only to be delivered some terrible news…
Your flight has been overbooked and you’ve been bumped off the list.
You shouldn’t have to suffer this inconvenience without compensation, and you don’t have to!
Being denied boarding for an overbooked flight means that you get the same rights as a normal delay.
Lufthansa must find an alternative flight to your final destination, and that flight has to be as soon as possible.
Not only that, EU regulations state that you have the right to receive reimbursement and compensation. Lufthansa pay these out via cheque, bank transfer, or by gift card (only if you agree).
Note: You won’t receive overbooking compensation if you voluntarily surrender your seat on an overbooked flight. Lufthansa will start by calling for passengers who accept to be rerouted on another flight. If you volunteer, you give up on your right to compensation.
How much must Lufthansa compensate for involuntary boarding denials?
For an involuntary boarding denial, the amount of money you get depends on the distance of travel you were going to take.
The figures are the same as a delayed flight claim, including:
- €250 for a flight that’s 1500km or less
- €400 for a flight distance between 1500-3500km
- €600 for a flight that spans over 3500km
Lufthansa must give you an alternative flight to your original destination, but your compensation amount changes if the arrival time for that flight is only a couple of hours after the original planned arrival time.
You will only receive 50% of the above compensation if your flight:
- Arrives 2 hours or less after the original planned arrival time for flights up to 1500km
- Arrives 3 hours or less for flights between 1500-3500km
- Arrives 4 hours or less for flights totalling over 3500km
Therefore, Lufthansa will give you €150 for the first option, €200 for the second, and €300 for the third option.
Lufthansa Contact and Customer Relations
How do I email Lufthansa?
You can raise a claim with Lufthansa through email by either:
- Filling out the contact form on their Feedback page here.
- Emailing them at [email protected].
How do I call Lufthansa?
To call Lufthansa to discuss your claim, you can view the appropriate phone number for your country here. Here are a few of them:
- USA: +1 800 645 3880
- United Kingdom: +44 371 945 9747
- Germany: +49 (0) 69 86 799 799
- Canada: +1 800 563 5954
IATA code:
LH
ICAO code:
DLH
Lufthansa is one of the most well-known airlines in the world, being the largest German airline and having the second most amount of passengers in Europe.
In addition to the Lufthansa brand, they also own subsidiary passenger airlines that form the Lufthansa Group, including:
- Austrian Airlines
- Swiss International Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Eurowings
They are one of the first founding members of the reputable Star Alliance membership, and they were voted Best Airline in Europe at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in 2019.
They fly to 250 destinations in 77 countries, and they have more than 350 aircrafts, ranging from the Airbus A320 to the Boeing 727.
Miles & More is the frequent flyer program that they share with a few other European airlines. You get benefits from both flying and making purchases in your everyday life.
Not only that, Lufthansa have a popular frequent flyer program called Miles & More that they share with a couple of other European airlines.
The headquarters for Lufthansa are located in Cologne, Germany and their major airport hubs are Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport.
They serve a staggering average of 70 million passengers per year. That being said, in 2019, only 75.44% of their flights arrived on time while the rest were delayed by at least 15 minutes.
About 17 million passengers experience a delay or cancellation every year.
Many of those passengers have no idea that they might be entitled to compensation from Lufthsansa.
Most airlines don’t take the initiative to let you know you can make a claim, so it’s up to the passenger to know their rights.
Lufthansa Ratings
The tab below provides specific data regarding the airline's on-time performance. It includes the amount of flights operated by the airline each month, which portion of these flight arrived on time (i.e with less than 15 minutes delay), which portion consists of delayed flights, and the average delay of their flights in minutes. Source: Flightstats.com
Number of flights
On-time (<15 min delay)
Delayed (15+ min late)
Average delay (in min)
Average
45857.77
73.1%
26.9%
36.65
Sep 2019
48049
74.70%
25.30%
33.40
Aug 2019
46826
74.43%
25.57%
37.10
Jul 2019
48533
69.84%
30.16%
39.40
Jun 2019
46720
66.34%
33.66%
39.20
May 2019
49150
71.43%
28.57%
35.30
Apr 2019
45588
77.42%
22.58%
32.20
Mar 2019
46160
76.10%
23.90%
36.20
Feb 2019
40600
82.25%
17.75%
39.20
Jan 2019
41638
71.79%
28.21%
42.00
Dec 2018
40751
69.30%
30.70%
38.00
Nov 2018
44603
78.25%
21.75%
34.90
Oct 2018
49140
71.50%
28.50%
34.00
Sep 2018
48393
66.99%
33.01%
35.50
As you can see from the data above, since January 2018, over 28% of Lufthansa’s flights arrived 15 minutes late or more. On average, flights by the airline were delayed by 37 minutes.
When you take a look at Lufthansa’s on-time performance by quarter, a negative trend emerge: as the year goes by, an increasing percentage of flight arrives late. Close to 1 flight out of 3 arrived 15 minutes late or more between July and September.
As such, Lufthansa’s flight performance can be qualified as slightly below average, with a rating of 4.2 out of 10.
When it comes to processing flight compensation claims, the performance of Lufthansa can be qualified as quite above average. You can take a look at the table below to get an idea of how fast they deal with compensation claims:
Average number of days for the airline to reply once the claim is submitted
17.7
Average number of days to solve the claim
55.2
Average number of days to pay the compensation after the case was sent to court
108.4
Despite being one of the largest airlines in the world, Lufthansa provides a statement relatively quickly once the compensation claim for flight delayed or cancelled has been submitted.
They are quick to process the claim and pay the compensation when it is due. It takes on average 8 weeks to secure your compensation from Lufthansa (55 days).
However, some complicated cases require the intervention of the court or a National Enforcement Body (NEB). When the court rules that compensation is due, the German airline will pay it, but the processing delay is significantly longer.
Keep in mind that these data represent averages: some problematic cases can take much longer. Because some cases are more complicated, they need to be sent to the court or a National Enforcement Body (NEB). In those cases, the processing time is significantly longer.
Our experts are used to dealing with Lufthansa and work hard to secure your compensation in as little time as possible.
FAQ
Does Lufthansa compensate for delayed flights?
Yes, under the Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, all EU airlines must compensate for delayed flights. Since Lufthansa is an EU airline, they have to comply with those standards.
Can I get compensation if I missed my connecting flight with Lufthansa?
Yes! If you missed your connection because your first flight with Lufthansa was delayed, you have the right to be compensated. It’s also Lufthansa’s responsibility to book you a new flight as soon as possible.
Note: To be eligible for missed connection compensation, passengers need to have booked both tickets together. If you booked separate reservations for your flights, you’re sadly out of luck.
My flight with Lufthansa was delayed or cancelled: why am I not eligible for compensation?
There are situations where your flight was delayed or cancelled due to a situation outside of Lufthansa’s control. These are called “extraordinary circumstances”. In those cases, you’re not entitled to compensation, even though you still experienced the inconvenience of a delay or cancellation.
These situations can include: bad weather, political instability, strikes, security risks, and/or deficiencies in flight safety.
If the delay or cancellation is due to a reason that Lufthansa could have controlled, you can make a claim and get compensation!
It’s easy to check if you’re entitled to compensation, and to see how much money you can receive by using our free Compensation Calculator.
How is the Lufthansa flight compensation calculated?
Lufthansa calculate flight compensation based on a combination of flight distance and the amount of time the flight was delayed for. The ticket price is not considered at all in this calculation.
The compensation usually ranges from €250 to €600. We recommend using our Compensation Calculator for a more detailed estimation.
