Lufthansa cancelled flight compensation

Lufthansa cancellations: what is specific

Lufthansa’s cancellations come in two patterns: schedule reductions announced well in advance (no compensation, but a refund or rebooking) and strike waves announced a few days ahead. Strikes by Lufthansa’s own pilots, cabin crew or ground staff are not extraordinary circumstances — the Court of Justice settled this — so cancellations inside 14 days are compensable unless the replacement flight met the legal windows. Strikes by airport operators or air-traffic control are different and can be extraordinary.

On a connecting itinerary, a cancelled feeder that Lufthansa rebooks onto a later connection is assessed by the arrival at your final destination against the original schedule. Lufthansa must offer a refund of the unused parts or re-routing, and care while you wait. If it refuses compensation, Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr conciliation is free and quick; the German courts (Amtsgericht) remain available for three years from the end of the flight year.

The three questions that decide a Lufthansa cancellation claim

1. When did Lufthansa tell you? Informed 14 days or more before departure: no compensation, but a refund or re-routing and care. Less than 14 days: compensation is due unless a replacement flight met the windows below or the cause was extraordinary. Lufthansa must prove when and how it informed you — keep its cancellation e-mail or app notification with the timestamp.
2. What replacement did Lufthansa offer? Between 7 and 14 days’ notice, no compensation if the re-routing departed no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late; under 7 days’ notice the margins shrink to 1 hour early and 2 hours late.
3. Why was it cancelled? Weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security and external strikes are extraordinary; Lufthansa’s technical problems, crew shortages, rotation planning and its own staff’s strikes are not.

Flights may be operated by Lufthansa CityLine (CL), Air Dolomiti (EN) or Lufthansa City Airlines (VL) under LH flight numbers. Check the operating carrier on your boarding pass: the rules follow the airline that flew the aircraft, not the one that sold the ticket.

What you always get, whatever the reason

Compensation may depend on the cause, but three rights never do. Lufthansa must offer you the choice between a full refund of the unused ticket (within 7 days, in cash or bank transfer — a voucher only with your agreement) and re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choice. While you wait for the re-routing Lufthansa must provide meals, refreshments, two calls or e-mails and, when an overnight stay becomes necessary, a hotel and transport to it. If it leaves you to arrange this yourself, keep receipts and claim the reasonable amounts.

How much Lufthansa owes when compensation is due

€250, €400 or €600 per passenger under EU261, set by the distance of the flight (or of the whole journey on one booking). Lufthansa may halve the long-haul amount to €300 when the replacement flight it offered arrived within the reduction windows (2 hours late for short flights, 3 hours for medium, 4 hours for long).

How to claim a cancellation from Lufthansa

1. Keep the cancellation notice, the original booking and the details of any replacement flight offered (departure and arrival times).
2. Ask Lufthansa in writing for the reason for the cancellation.
3. Submit the claim through Lufthansa’s official channel (https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/passenger-rights), or by post to Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Customer Relations, Postfach 1244, 33309 Gütersloh, Germany, stating the notice date, the replacement offered (or not) and the amount per passenger.
4. If Lufthansa refuses or stalls for 8 weeks, escalate to Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp, Germany), then to the courts within the limitation period of the departure country.