Flight compensation in Germany
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Quick answer
All flights departing German airports are covered by Regulation 261/2004, on any airline. The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) enforces the rules; the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp) resolves disputes with Lufthansa, Eurowings, Condor, TUI fly and most airlines operating in Germany free of charge; and the limitation period is 3 years from the end of the year in which the flight took place.
Who is covered
- Departures from Germany
- Every flight departing an airport in Germany is covered, whichever airline operates it.
- Arrivals into Germany
- Flights arriving from outside Europe are covered only when the operating airline is licensed in the EU/EEA; a third-country airline (Emirates, Qatar Airways, American Airlines) is not.
- Applicable rules
- EU Regulation 261/2004
- Currency
- EUR
- Enforcement authority
- Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)
- Limitation period
- 3 years
- From the end of the year in which the flight took place (§§ 195, 199 BGB).
- Escalation path
- Airline → Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr conciliation (formerly söp; free, most airlines, 2 months after the complaint) → LBA complaint → Amtsgericht (district court) or European Small Claims Procedure.
Limitation periods differ by country and can be as short as one year. This is the period to bring a court claim; complaint bodies may have their own deadlines.
What can I claim for a flight from Germany?
Every flight departing from Germany is covered under EU261, whichever airline operates: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding. Flights into Germany from outside Europe are covered when the airline is licensed in Europe.
Does this apply to your flight?
Flight from or to Germany?
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Already known from this page
- Germany
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Rules and amounts
Regulation 261/2004 applies to every departure from Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart and other German airports, and to inbound flights on EU airlines. Amounts: €250 / €400 / €600 by distance.
Enforcement: LBA
The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt is Germany’s national enforcement body. Passengers can file complaints online; the LBA investigates and can fine airlines for systematic breaches, but it does not decide individual compensation claims.
Conciliation: Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp)
The Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr — known until the end of 2023 as the Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr, söp — is the approved conciliation body for air passengers, with about 350 member companies. Its statutory scope (§§ 57–57b of the Air Traffic Act) is consumer claims from €10 to €5,000 where a German court would have jurisdiction, in practice flights to or from Germany. Lufthansa, Eurowings, Condor, TUI fly, Ryanair (for German departures), easyJet and most airlines flying from Germany participate. The procedure is free for passengers, online, and can be used once two months have passed since your complaint to the airline (and the case is not before a court or another scheme). Airlines follow its conciliation proposals in the great majority of cases. For airlines that do not participate, the Federal Office of Justice’s conciliation body (Schlichtungsstelle Luftverkehr beim Bundesamt für Justiz) steps in.
Courts
German district courts (Amtsgerichte) — especially those at Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Cologne, which sit at the airports — have extensive passenger-rights case law and routinely award compensation. Claims must be brought within 3 years, counted from the end of the calendar year in which the flight took place (§§ 195, 199 BGB): a flight in March 2024 can be claimed until 31 December 2027.
German specifics
- Strikes by airport staff (Verdi strikes of security screeners or ground handlers employed by the airport operator) are external and generally extraordinary; strikes by the airline’s own staff are not.
- Germany’s courts have been strict on “technical problems”: they are never extraordinary unless caused by a hidden manufacturing defect or sabotage.
- Interest at 5 percentage points above the base rate accrues on late payment once the airline is in default.
Sources
- European Commission — DG MOVEAir passenger rights (including list of National Enforcement Bodies)
- 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
- European Union — Your EuropeAir passenger rights
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
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