Lisbon to Frankfurt flight compensation
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Quick answer
Lisbon to Frankfurt is about 1,890 km, so EU261 compensation is €400 per passenger. The flight departs the EU, so it is covered on every airline. Many passengers connect at Frankfurt on a single Lufthansa ticket: in that case the delay is measured at the final destination and the amount is based on the distance from Lisbon to that destination.
Great-circle distance
1,873 km
Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) → Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Compensation band: 1,500 – 3,500 km
Fixed compensation
€400
€400 per passenger
Applicable rules: EU Regulation 261/2004
Example
A passenger arriving 3+ hours late at Frankfurt on a covered flight could claim €400 per passenger.
If the flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure without a close alternative, the same €400 applies.
- TAP Air Portugalcovered on this direction· EU/EEA licence
- Lufthansacovered on this direction· EU/EEA licence· Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp)
- Ryanaircovered on this direction· EU/EEA licence· AviationADR
Departing from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport
Lisbon is TAP's hub and a constrained single-runway airport, with strong afternoon northerly winds in summer. TAP crew industrial action is internal to the airline and is not extraordinary.
Direction matters
- Lisbon → Frankfurt
- EU Regulation 261/2004 · €400 · any airline
- Frankfurt → Lisbon
- EU Regulation 261/2004 · €400 · any airline
What changes on the return leg
| Enforcement body | Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) | Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) |
|---|---|---|
| Dispute-resolution scheme | no country-wide scheme | Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp) |
| Time limit for a court claim | — | 3 years |
| Court | — | Amtsgericht (district court) / European Small Claims Procedure |
Delay, cancellation or missed connection on this direction
- Delayed
- €400 per passenger is due when at least one door opens at Frankfurt Airport three hours or more after the scheduled arrival; the departure delay at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport does not count. From 3 hours of delay the airline owes meals and communication whatever the cause, and from 5 hours you may abandon the trip for a refund.
- Cancelled
- The same €400 per passenger is due when the airline told you less than 14 days before departure and did not re-route you within the legal windows (at most 2 hours early and under 4 hours late with 7–14 days’ notice; 1 hour and 2 hours under 7 days). A refund or re-routing, and care while you wait, are due in every case.
- Missed connection
- If Frankfurt Airport is not your final destination and both flights were on one booking, the delay is measured where the journey ends and the amount on the distance from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport to that final airport (Folkerts, C-11/11) — even when the onward flight is outside Europe. On separate tickets each flight stands alone, and a missed onward flight is not the first airline’s liability.
Escalation for this direction
Enforcement body: Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC) (Portugal)
Direct answer
- Short answer
- Yes — a flight from Lisbon to Frankfurt delayed 3+ hours, cancelled at short notice or overbooked can be worth €400 per passenger, on any airline.
- Amount
- €400€400 per passenger · 1,873 km
- Why
- The distance is 1,873 km (1,500 – 3,500 km) and the flight falls under EU Regulation 261/2004; the fixed amount depends only on the distance band.
- What can change it
- The airline proves extraordinary circumstances (weather, ATC, security) that it could not avoid.
- Arrival delay under 3 hours at the final destination.
- Cancellation announced 14+ days ahead, or re-routing within the legal windows.
- Check your flight
- Check compensation for this route
- Official 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 — European Parliament and CouncilLast checked against the source on 23 September 2026
What happens if my Lisbon → Frankfurt flight is delayed or cancelled?
EU261 applies to every airline on this route: €400 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. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Checking a Lisbon → Frankfurt flight?
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Already known from this page
- Lisbon (LIS) → Frankfurt (FRA)
What happened to your flight?
The route
TAP Air Portugal, Lufthansa and Ryanair link Lisbon and Frankfurt. Lisbon’s runway congestion and Frankfurt’s weather and ATC capacity are the usual defences.
Connections
On a single booking such as Lisbon → Frankfurt → Tokyo, a delayed Lisbon flight that costs you the connection is compensated at €600 (Lisbon–Tokyo ≈ 11,100 km). On separate tickets, only the Lisbon–Frankfurt delay counts (€400 if 3+ hours).
Escalation
ANAC (Portugal’s enforcement body) for Lisbon departures; Portuguese courts. For Lufthansa, the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (Germany’s conciliation body) also accepts complaints about Lufthansa flights to Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delayed or cancelled flight from Lisbon to Frankfurt covered by EU Regulation 261/2004?
Yes, on any airline: the flight departs from Portugal, so EU Regulation 261/2004 applies whatever the carrier's nationality. Whether compensation is due then depends on the disruption — an arrival delay of three hours or more, a cancellation announced less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — and on the cause.
How much compensation for a delayed or cancelled Lisbon to Frankfurt flight?
€400 per passenger for a 1,873 km flight, if the disruption qualifies and no extraordinary circumstance is proven. It is the same for every fare and does not depend on the ticket price; a re-routing that gets you there within the Article 7(2) time limits can halve it.
What if the airline rejects my claim for a Lisbon to Frankfurt flight?
Reply once in writing asking for the facts behind the refusal, then escalate outside the airline. TAP Air Portugal, Lufthansa, Ryanair: no ADR scheme on file for this country — complain to the enforcement body instead. The enforcement body is Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC).
Do the same rules apply on the way back, from Frankfurt to Lisbon?
Not entirely. On the return flight the regime is the same; the competent enforcement body is Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA); the court deadline follows the other country. Each direction is judged on its own departure.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-559/16 Bossen v Brussels Airlines — the distance is the great-circle distance between the first departure and the final destination
- 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
- 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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