We had a wonderful experience flying Lufthansa’s business class on the upper deck of their 747 and were excited to fly in the nose on our return trip. Unfortunately, that never happened as our Lufthansa flight was cancelled due to a pilot strike.
In this post, we’re covering everything we experienced after our Lufthansa flight was cancelled, how we claimed EU261 compensation for the strike, how much Lufthansa cancelled flight compensation we received, and how long the whole process took.
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Our Experience Claiming Lufthansa Cancelled Flight Compensation
Introduction
After a wonderful two weeks in Thailand, we were set to return home via Frankfurt. Our first flight was Thai Airways from Bangkok to Frankfurt, connecting to Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Vancouver, all booked as one ticket.
Thirty-six hours before we were set to depart on our first flight on Thai Airways, we received an e-mail from Lufthansa. They were notifying us of a short notice strike by the pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, scheduled to occur on April 13th and 14th.
Lufthansa stated that they would email us by the morning of April 12th at the latest if our flight was going to be cancelled or rebooked. By afternoon, we hadn’t heard anything, so we believed everything was fine and checked in online with Thai Airways.
Later that night, I was reviewing our itinerary on the Air Canada app (since we had booked through Aeroplan) and saw a notification that our flight had been cancelled. We were quite confused, as the Lufthansa app and Thai Airways app both showed that everything was fine, and we hadn’t received any e-mails from either airline.
To be safe, I called in to Aeroplan to inquire if everything was okay with our itinerary. After waiting for three hours to speak with someone, I was connected with a lovely agent who informed us that unfortunately our Lufthansa flight had indeed been cancelled.
What Happened When Lufthansa Cancelled Our Flight
We were never informed of the flight cancellation by Lufthansa and they didn’t offer to rebook us.
Thankfully, the Aeroplan agent was very kind and helpful. She let us know that there was no availability for rebooking that day, and the earliest would be two days later if we wanted to stick with business class, or one day later if we’d accept economy.
While I was on hold with her, I also conducted my own searches and found a reasonable option for the following day with a long layover in Tokyo on Thai Airways and Air Canada. After an hour on the phone, she was able to rebook the three of us in business class on our preferred route at no extra cost.
We were already staying at an airport hotel at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport so we paid out of pocket to stay an additional night. Having paid for our flight with our American Express Aeroplan credit card, I figured we’d be able to get reimbursed for the hotel stay as we should be covered under the card’s travel delay insurance.
Lufthansa Cancelled Flight Compensation Eligibility
Upon returning home, I gathered my receipts to try to get reimbursed for our out-of-pocket expenses due to the Lufthansa flight cancellation. This is when I realized I should look into EU261, the European Union’s air passenger rights law.
Upon further research, I was pleasantly surprised to find out our cancelled Lufthansa flight would be eligible for reimbursement AND compensation for the delay. Since we were informed of the flight cancellation less than 14 days prior to our flight, and we were travelling over 3500km, we were eligible to receive the maximum compensation of 600 Euros each.
When does EU261 apply?
- When your flight operates within the EU and is operated by an EU or non-EU carrier
- When your flight arrives in the EU from outside the EU and is operated by an EU carrier
- When your flight departs the EU to a non-EU country and is operated by an EU or non-EU carrier
- When you have not already received benefits for these flight problems under a non-EU country’s relevant laws
When does EU261 not apply?
A passenger will not be eligible for compensation if a flight was delayed or cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, including:
- adverse weather
- air traffic management decisions
- political instability
- security risks
I was surprised to learn that internal strike action by airline staff is NOT considered an extraordinary circumstance. Since our flight was cancelled due to a Lufthansa pilots strike, it was still eligible!
What issues are covered under EU261?
- Flight cancellation
- Flight delay
- Denied boarding
- Overbooked flight
- Flight downgraded
- Lost, damaged or delayed luggage
How To Claim Compensation From Lufthansa
1. Navigate to the Lufthansa Compensation Claim Form online
Lufthansa doesn’t make the link very easy to find on their website, but it is there.
Navigate to their Help page and select Refunds and compensations.
From the drop down menu, select Compensation for flight changes made by the airline.
Select Request Compensation to open up the flight disruption compensation and reimbursement form.
2. Fill out the online form
You will need to start by entering your booking code or ticket number and your name.
Once you’ve correctly entered these in, you’ll be asked a series of questions regarding why you’re claimng compensation and who for. Make sure you’re not using a VPN as you may encounter an error message (it worked once I turned off my VPN).
Next, a list of your flights will come up and you’ll need to select the affected flight.
3. Upload receipts
Upload receipts one at a time, ensuring the files are smaller than 3.7MB. You can claim food, hotel accommodation, airport transfers, and communication costs.
When I tried to submit my receipts, I kept getting an error message, despite keeping my files small. I tried again with only one attachment and it went through. I then went back and submitted a new claim with additional receipts attached. So, if you encounter the same issue, try reducing your attachments and add them again later.
How Long Does Lufthansa Take To Respond to Claims?
After submitting our claim using the online Lufthansa Compensation form, I received an e-mail from Lufthansa a few hours later acknowledging receipt of our claim. The e-mail stated that due to receiving significantly more inquiries than usual the processing time would be longer and to refrain from sending follow-up e-mails.
Lufthansa Compensation Approval
On June 3rd, just over six weeks from submitting my claim, I finally received an e-mail from Lufthansa.
To my delight, they informed me that they are offering us $1000 CAD per person in compensation for the flight cancellation. This was actually more than we were expecting – we had expected 600 Euros each which, at the time, converted to less than $1000 CAD.
Lufthansa said the $1000 amount was in accordance with Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (rather than EU261).
Additionally, Lufthansa let us know they would reimburse us for our one-night hotel stay and one meal. I was a bit surprised that they would only cover one meal when we were delayed more than 24 hours, but oh well. It was better than nothing.
At the bottom of the e-mail was a link to authorize the payment.
When I clicked it, I was shown the total amount we would be reimbursed and then had to enter my banking details.
I know many people are wary of providing banking details online, as am I, but after reading other people’s experiences and triple-checking that I was on a legitimate website, I proceeded with entering in my banking information.
When The Compensation Money Arrived
After submitting my banking details, the confirmation screen stated that I would receive the Lufthansa compensation payout within 10 business days.
On June 9th, I was surprised to find the money had already been deposited into my account. It took a total of six days (four business days).
Our Complete Lufthansa Compensation Timeline
- April 12: Notified of strike action
- April 13: Flight cancelled
- April 14: Departed on new flight itinerary (one day late)
- April 15: Arrived home (one day late)
- April 20: Submitted compensation claim on Lufthansa website
- April 20: Received acknowledgement e-mail from Lufthansa
- June 3: Received e-mail approving compensation claim
- June 3: Submitted banking information
- June 9: Received compensation in my bank account
Tips for Claiming Lufthansa Compensation
For a smooth and successful flight compensation claim, we recommend:
- saving all boarding passes
- screenshot everything! ie. notifications on airline apps
- save all emails
- pay with a credit card that has travel insurance
- save all receipts, ie. food, accommodation, transportation, cell phone
- document everything
- check junk mail to ensure you don’t miss any important emails
- be patient!
FAQs
How much compensation does Lufthansa pay for cancelled flights?
Compensation for cancelled Lufthansa flights depends on the distance of the flight:
- 1500km or less: 200 Euros
- Over 1500km in the EU, or 1500-3500km elsewhere: 400 Euros
- Over 3500km: 600 Euros
Are strikes covered under EU261?
If it’s an internal strike action, ie. the airline’s pilot or flight attendants are striking, yes, it’s covered.
If it’s an external strike, such as ground crew, which affects the airline’s operation, then it may be considered “extraordinary circumstances” and not be covered. However, the airline is required to prove that i) there is a link between the extraordinary circumstances and the delay or the cancellation, and ii) the delay or cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken (as per EU261).
How long does Lufthansa take to pay compensation?
On average, it seems Lufthansa takes 6-8 weeks to approve and pay out flight compensation. In our experience, it took 7 weeks to receive the payment in our account.
Should I go through a claims company?
No. It’s easy enough to submit the compensation claim by yourself on the Lufthansa website. There is no need to pay anyone for this service and it doesn’t seem like it would expedite the process anyway.
The only time I would consider it is if you have submitted the claim online, and have not heard back after eight weeks, or if you’ve been declined compensation but believe you are entitled to it.
Final Outcome
The entire compensation claim process with Lufthansa was easier than I expected. I appreciated how easy it was to submit the claim online. After a previous bad experience trying to claim APPR compensation and reimbursement from two other airlines in Canada, I was pleasantly surprised how smoothly it went with Lufthansa.
It was a bit frustrating not hearing anything from Lufthansa for weeks and not knowing when I would receive approval, but in the end, they responded within a reasonable timeframe considering all the claims they had to process due to the strikes.
Once our compensation claim was approved, it was quick and easy to receive the money. They paid it out within the 10 business days that they had promised.
Overall, I am pleased with how Lufthansa handled my cancelled flight compensation and wouldn’t hesitate to fly with them again. If you’ve experienced a delayed or cancelled flight with Lufthansa, definitely go ahead and submit a claim on their website if you believe you’re eligible!
Let us know in the comments below what your experience has been like claiming Lufthansa flight compensation.
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