Airlines / Lufthansa
Lufthansa: how to claim compensation
This page is independent. We are not affiliated with Lufthansa or any airline.
- Airline type
- EU airline (Germany)
- Rules that may apply
- EU261 for flights departing the EU, and for flights into the EU from elsewhere. UK261 for flights departing the UK, and into the UK.
1. Claim directly with Lufthansa
Claiming directly is free, and you keep the whole amount. Use the airline's own form:
Lufthansa compensation form (delay and cancellation) (opens in a new tab) (opens the airline's website)
- The form covers delays, cancellations, diversions, missed connections, overbooking and downgrades.
- To claim for someone else you need a signed authorisation from that passenger, uploaded with the form.
- You can upload receipts for meals, hotel, transport and communication costs on the same form.
Long-haul hubs in Frankfurt and Munich mean many missed-connection claims. On a single booking, only the delay at your final destination counts, and distance is measured from your first airport to your final one.
No suitable form? Use our free first-claim letter.
2. Common rejection reasons and how to respond
| What the airline may say | What to check or reply |
|---|---|
| "Extraordinary circumstances" | The airline must name the event and prove it could not have been avoided with reasonable measures. |
| "Industrial action" | If the airline's own staff struck: under EU rules cite C-195/17 Krüsemann and C-28/20 Airhelp v SAS; under UK rules cite Civil Aviation Authority v Ryanair [2022] EWCA Civ 76 (C-28/20 came after Brexit and does not bind UK courts). |
| "Air traffic control restrictions" | Ask for the slot or restriction details and how much of your delay it caused (C-315/15: only that part counts). |
| "Bad weather" | Ask whether weather affected your flight specifically, at that time, and why a later departure was not possible. |
| "Earlier flight was delayed" | Ask for the root cause on the earlier flight and what reserve the airline planned. |
The My Flight Money claim dashboard includes a prefilled rebuttal letter for each of these.
3. If Lufthansa refuses or does not reply
Flights under UK rules: dispute resolution (ADR)
Lufthansa is signed up to Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr (Germany), which the CAA lists for complaints from UK passengers. You can go to ADR after the airline's final response, or after 8 weeks with no reply.
Flights under EU rules: enforcement body
Flights departing Germany: Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA). Other departures: the enforcement body in the country of the incident. Enforcement bodies monitor airlines but may not be able to make an airline pay your individual claim (C-145/15 Ruijssenaars). See the official EU list (opens in a new tab).
Court
- Germany: Amtsgericht at the place of departure or arrival. The German limit runs to 31 December of the third year after the flight.
- Cross-border within the EU: European Small Claims Procedure (opens in a new tab).
- UK departures: Money Claim Online (opens in a new tab) (England and Wales), simple procedure (opens in a new tab) (Scotland) or small claims (opens in a new tab) (Northern Ireland).
Check your claim deadline before you start.
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