Lufthansa compensation: EU261 claims for delayed and cancelled Lufthansa flights

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Quick answer

Lufthansa is licensed in Germany, so Regulation 261/2004 covers every Lufthansa flight departing from the EU/EEA and every Lufthansa flight into the EU/EEA — including long-haul flights from the US or Asia into Frankfurt and Munich (€600). Claims go through Lufthansa's passenger-rights form; disputes can be taken to the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp), whose recommendations Lufthansa follows.

Operating carrier

Lufthansa LH / DLH · Germany

EU/EEA-licensed carrier — Regulation 261/2004 applies to all its flights departing from the EU/EEA and to its flights into the EU/EEA.

Applicable regimes: Lufthansa CityLine, Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa City Airlines, Eurowings

Where to send your claim

Official claim form / help centre: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/passenger-rights
Customer relations: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/help-and-contact
Postal address: Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Customer Relations, Postfach 1244, 33309 Gütersloh, Germany
Dispute-resolution scheme: Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp, Germany)

Compensation examples on Lufthansa routes

Frankfurt → New York (6,189 km)€600
New York → Frankfurt (6,189 km)€600
Frankfurt → Madrid (1,420 km)€250
Munich → Lisbon (1,984 km)€400
Frankfurt → London (654 km)€250
Munich → Singapore (10,058 km)€600

Flights may be operated by Lufthansa CityLine (CL), Air Dolomiti (EN) or Lufthansa City Airlines (VL) under LH flight numbers.

Can Lufthansa passengers claim compensation?

Yes. Lufthansa holds a EU/EEA licence, so Regulation 261 covers its flights departing from the EU/EEA, the UK or Switzerland and its flights into them: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance.

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What happened to your flight?

DelayedCancelledDenied boardingMissed connection

Scope for Lufthansa flights

As an EU carrier, Lufthansa is covered in both directions: a delayed Chicago–Frankfurt flight is compensable under EU261 (€600, or €300 if you arrived less than 4 hours late), unlike the same route on United. Regional flights sold under LH numbers may be operated by Lufthansa CityLine, Air Dolomiti or Lufthansa City Airlines — all EU carriers. Flights from the UK to Germany on Lufthansa are covered by UK261 (£220/£350) with EU261 as an alternative basis.

How to claim from Lufthansa

Lufthansa’s “Passenger rights” page links to an online form for compensation and reimbursement. You need the booking code and the passenger’s surname. Lufthansa typically answers within 4–8 weeks and pays by bank transfer; it often first offers a voucher with a bonus, which you may decline in favour of cash.

What Lufthansa typically argues

Strikes — Lufthansa has faced pilot, cabin-crew and ground-staff strikes. Strikes by Lufthansa’s own staff are not extraordinary (Airhelp v SAS, Krüsemann). Strikes by airport staff or security screeners (for example Verdi strikes at Frankfurt or Munich airports) are external and usually are.
Weather in Frankfurt and Munich — winter storms are extraordinary where they genuinely prevented operations.
Technical faults — not extraordinary.
Connections — Lufthansa’s hub model means many claims involve missed connections; on a single booking the delay at the final destination counts (Folkerts).

Escalation

Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (the conciliation body known until 2024 as söp) — Germany’s approved conciliation body for air passengers. Lufthansa participates; the procedure is free for passengers and can be used after the airline has refused or failed to answer within 2 months.
Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) — the enforcement body for flights departing Germany (and inbound EU-carrier flights); it can fine airlines but does not award compensation.
Court: German courts have a large body of passenger-rights case law; the standard limitation period is 3 years from the end of the year in which the flight took place.

Typical amounts

Domestic and intra-European Lufthansa flights pay €250 or €400 depending on distance (Frankfurt–Berlin €250; Frankfurt–Athens or Munich–Lisbon €400). Long-haul flights pay €600 (Frankfurt–New York, Munich–Singapore), halved to €300 for arrival delays between 3 and 4 hours.

Operating facts: Lufthansa

From the registries behind the checker and, where enough cases exist, from claims passengers tracked on Horvera. Nothing here is estimated.

Official claim channel

https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/passenger-rights

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Customer Relations, Postfach 1244, 33309 Gütersloh, Germany

Channel verified 14 September 2026

Dispute-resolution body

Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp)

airline is a member · decisions not binding · accepts cases 60 days after the claim

Enforcement body (Germany)

Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)

The competent body is the one of the departure country; this is the airline's home-country body.

Time limit for a court claim (Germany)

36 months

§§ 195, 199 BGB (three years from the end of the year in which the flight took place) · statute · 2026-09-14

Flight lookup on Horvera

Not on Horvera: there is no live flight-status lookup. You enter the route, the date and the airline; every figure in the check and the letter is stated as your own record.

Collected from tracked claims

Not enough verified Horvera cases yet (we publish only from 30 tracked claims sent to this airline).

Straight answers

Each answer is computed from the registries behind the checker and carries its source and verification date.

Can I claim compensation from Lufthansa?

Yes, if your Lufthansa flight arrived three hours or more late, was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you were denied boarding against your will — and the airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance. EU261 applies because of the airline's licence and where the flight departed.

Conditions

Arrival at the final destination three hours or more after the scheduled time (delay).
Cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure, and no re-routing inside the legal time windows.
Confirmed booking, on-time check-in and boarding refused against your will.
The airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided with all reasonable measures.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04) · verified 12 September 2026

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How much compensation does Lufthansa pay?

On the example routes for Lufthansa the fixed amount is 250 to 600 EUR per passenger, set by distance, regardless of the ticket price.

Conditions

Up to 1,500 km · 1,500–3,500 km · over 3,500 km; intra-EU flights over 3,500 km take the middle amount.
Over 3,500 km the airline may halve the amount if the arrival delay was under four hours.
Per passenger, for every passenger on the booking.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France · verified 12 September 2026

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Which law applies to a Lufthansa flight?

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261): Lufthansa is an EU/EEA-licensed carrier, so it applies to every flight departing the EU/EEA and to its flights into the EU/EEA from outside.

Conditions

Any flight departing the regime's territory is covered whichever airline operates it.
A flight into the territory from outside is covered only when a licensed carrier of that regime (or the EU) operates it.

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How long do I have to claim against Lufthansa?

For flights departing DE, a court claim is likely time-barred after 36 months (§§ 195, 199 BGB (three years from the end of the year in which the flight took place)). Other departure countries have their own limits; the airline's own claim form has no deadline of its own.

Conditions

The country whose enforcement body is competent — normally the departure country — sets the limit.
Limitation is national law (CJEU C-139/11); escalation steps do not stop the clock.

Source: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch §§ 195, 199 · Case C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré v KLM · verified 14 September 2026

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Where do I send a claim to Lufthansa?

Through the claim channel of Lufthansa: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/passenger-rights. Claim from the operating carrier, in writing, and keep proof of sending.

Conditions

Claim from the airline that operated the flight (on the boarding pass), not necessarily the one that sold the ticket.
In writing, with the booking reference, flight number, date and the passengers' names; keep proof of sending.

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What if Lufthansa refuses to pay?

Lufthansa is a member of Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp), whose decisions are not binding on the airline. Refer the case there after a refusal or once the waiting period has passed; the enforcement body and the courts remain available.

Conditions

The body accepts the case 60 days after the claim was sent without a substantive answer, or after a final refusal.
The national enforcement body of the departure country can examine the airline's compliance.
A court claim remains available within the national time limit, as a last resort.

Source: Conciliation for air travel · Luftverkehrsgesetz § 57a · How to complain: contact the airline first, then the National Enforcement Body of the country of departure (or arrival for inbound EU-carrier flights) · verified 14 September 2026

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What if Lufthansa says the delay was due to weather?

Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance — but only on the facts. Lufthansa must prove the conditions were incompatible with operating this flight, that they affected this flight and not just the airport in general, and that no reasonable measure could have avoided the delay. A generic reference to weather does not discharge that burden.

Conditions

The burden of proof is on the airline (Art. 5(3)).
The weather must have affected this flight, not just the airport in general; other flights that operated are evidence.
The airline must also show what it did to avoid the disruption — spare aircraft, crew, re-routing.
A technical fault, by contrast, is inherent in normal operations and not extraordinary.

Read about extraordinary circumstances →

Prepare the claim letter

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Frequently asked questions

Does Lufthansa pay EU261 compensation on flights from the USA?

Yes. Lufthansa is an EU carrier, so EU261 covers its flights into the EU from any country, including the United States, Canada and Asia — €600 per passenger for arrival delays of 4+ hours (€300 between 3 and 4 hours).

How do I claim compensation from Lufthansa?

Through the passenger-rights form on lufthansa.com, one claim per booking with the booking code and the reason Lufthansa gave. If Lufthansa refuses or stalls for 8 weeks, refer the case to the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp), the German conciliation body Lufthansa belongs to, free of charge.

Is a Lufthansa strike an extraordinary circumstance?

Not when the strikers are Lufthansa's own staff — pilots, cabin crew or ground staff employed by the group. Compensation is due for the resulting cancellations and delays. Strikes by air-traffic controllers or airport staff can be extraordinary.

My Lufthansa connection through Frankfurt was missed — what counts?

The arrival at your final destination on the single booking, compared with the original schedule, and the distance of the whole journey. A 3-hour late arrival at the final destination is compensable even if the feeder was only slightly late.

Sources

Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-28/20 Airhelp v Scandinavian Airlines — a strike organised by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-11/11 Air France v Folkerts — compensation for connecting flights depends on the delay at the final destination
Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-195/17 etc. Krüsemann v TUIfly — a "wildcat strike" by airline staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia — technical problems are not, as such, extraordinary circumstances
European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights

Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026

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