Lufthansa compensation and refunds: up to €600 for delays and cancellations
We have handled more than 1,100 Lufthansa claims so far, many of them on journeys through Frankfurt and Munich or on routes such as Munich–London and Frankfurt–Lisbon. If your flight landed hours late, you could be owed €250 to €600 per passenger, depending on the distance flown.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is based in Cologne, Germany, so it is an EU airline. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 that means two things: every Lufthansa flight leaving an EU airport is covered, and so are Lufthansa flights landing in the EU from outside it, such as Toronto–Frankfurt or São Paulo–Frankfurt.
Delayed flight
You reach your final destination, including after a change in Frankfurt or Munich, three hours or more behind schedule.
3+ hours on arrivalCancelled flight
Lufthansa cancelled with less than 14 days' warning and did not offer a replacement at a similar time.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped from the flight
The flight was overbooked and you were refused boarding despite a confirmed seat and turning up on time.
Payable straight awayWhen nothing is owed
When the disruption came from something genuinely outside Lufthansa's control, such as a severe storm or an air traffic control strike. The airline has to prove it.
Extraordinary circumstancesNot sure where your flight stands? Enter the airports and date and we will tell you in a couple of minutes: check your Lufthansa flight.
How much Lufthansa compensation you can claim
Neither the fare nor the cabin matters. The figure depends only on the distance to the final destination on your booking.
| Flight distance | Lufthansa routes we often see | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Munich–London, Amsterdam–Frankfurt, Frankfurt–Rome, Frankfurt–Milan | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Frankfurt–Porto, Frankfurt–Lisbon, Lisbon–Frankfurt | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Frankfurt–Toronto, Frankfurt–São Paulo | €600 |
The amount is per passenger, not per booking. A couple flying Frankfurt–Porto with two children who had their own seats, landing four hours late, could claim €1,600 in total: children with a seat get the same as adults.
Lufthansa flight delayed? What to do to claim
Delays are the most common reason behind the Lufthansa claims we handle: more than 5 in 10. What counts is the time the aircraft door opens at your final destination, not the take-off or touchdown time. While you are still at the airport:
- Keep every boarding pass, including the one for your connecting flight, or take a screenshot in the Lufthansa app.
- Save the rebooking details if you were moved to a later flight: they show when you actually arrived.
- Ask the transfer desk for the reason and keep every message from Lufthansa. The explanation given at the gate is not always the one in the written reply to your claim.
- Keep receipts for meals, taxis and hotels you paid for yourself: if Lufthansa did not provide care, it should reimburse them.
- Do not swap cash for vouchers or miles until you know what you are entitled to.
Meals, drinks and hotels while you wait
Care applies whatever caused the delay, even bad weather: Lufthansa must provide food and drink in line with the wait and, if you cannot fly until the next day, a hotel room and transport to it.
| Flight length | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay longer than 5 hours | You can choose not to travel and get your fare back |
Missed connection in Frankfurt or Munich
If both flights were on one booking, only the delay at your final destination matters, and the distance is measured from your first airport to your last. Berlin–Frankfurt–Toronto arriving five hours late means €600, even though only the short first leg went wrong. With two separate tickets, each flight is assessed on its own. More detail on our page about Lufthansa delay compensation.
Lufthansa flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Cancellations make up around 4 in 10 of our Lufthansa claims. Accepting the rebooking or refund offered by email does not rule out compensation, which comes on top.
Always available after a cancellation: you choose between getting your money back and travelling on another flight.
An extra payment when you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Not due, but you keep the right to a refund or rerouting |
| 7 to 13 days before | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days before | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flights. When Lufthansa moves a departure by several hours shortly before you fly, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Already had your fare refunded? You may still be owed compensation: check in two minutes. Read more about compensation for a cancelled Lufthansa flight.
Lufthansa overbooking and denied boarding
About 7 in 100 of the Lufthansa claims we handle involve denied boarding. It happens when more tickets are sold than there are seats and not enough passengers volunteer to give theirs up. If your documents were in order and you were at the gate on time, compensation is due immediately, along with an alternative flight or a refund.
Nothing is owed when boarding is refused for an expired passport or for reaching the gate after it closed. Not sure which applies? Run a free check and see our guide to Lufthansa overbooking and denied boarding.
Lufthansa strikes: are you entitled to compensation?
Lufthansa pilots and cabin crew walked out again in 2026, grounding hundreds of departures from Frankfurt and Munich. When the strike is by the airline's own employees, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice has ruled that this kind of industrial action is part of the airline's normal business, not an extraordinary circumstance (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or airport workers is different: no compensation, but Lufthansa must still look after you and offer a refund or another flight.
Lufthansa rejected your claim? The usual reasons
First refusals tend to be short and generic. Here is how European case law treats the usual reasons.
Faults found during routine operation and maintenance are part of running an airline. The exception is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or an aviation authority. Check your flight.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07It turns on who was striking: Lufthansa pilots, crew or ground staff mean compensation is due; air traffic controllers or airport staff mean it is not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20A plane arriving late from its previous flight or a crew running out of duty time are operational problems. Lufthansa must point to a specific extraordinary event at the start of the chain.
These can rule compensation out if they genuinely hit your flight. We check the weather records and the restrictions actually in force that day before giving you an answer.
Flights operated by Air Dolomiti and Lufthansa City Airlines
Air Dolomiti, an Italian airline wholly owned by Lufthansa, links many Italian cities with Munich and Frankfurt. Lufthansa City Airlines has been flying since 2024 from bases in Munich and Frankfurt, while the regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine was grounded in April 2026, leading to many short-haul cancellations. All of these are EU airlines, so your rights are the same; the claim goes to whichever airline operated the flight, and on our form the flight number is enough.
Codeshares and flights from outside Europe
On long-haul routes Lufthansa often sells seats on partner aircraft. What matters is who operates the flight. If it is Lufthansa, you are covered on the way back to Europe from Toronto or São Paulo too. If a non-EU partner operates it, the Regulation only covers the departure from an EU airport, not the return. Check the "operated by" line on your booking.
Flights to and from the UK
Lufthansa flights between the UK and Germany, such as Munich–London, are covered in both directions because Lufthansa is an EU airline. Flights leaving the UK also fall under the UK's own version of the rules, with amounts in pounds; we will tell you which works out better.
How to claim from Lufthansa: on your own or with us
You can claim free of charge using the online passenger rights form on lufthansa.com. Here is what changes if you hand it to us.
It costs nothing, but you deal with Lufthansa's replies yourself. If you are refused, you can go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or to the courts, at your own time and expense.
Two minutes to fill in the form and an online signature. We handle the claim, the formal letter and any court action with our own lawyers. You only pay if you get compensation: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Lufthansa has already rejected your claim
You can still pass the case to us. If the reason given is wrong, we pick the claim up again with a formal letter.
Documents to have ready
- Booking confirmation and boarding passesFor every leg of the trip, connections included.
- ID for each passengerPassport or ID card, children included.
- Messages from LufthansaCancellation or rebooking emails, app notifications and expense receipts.
How long you have to claim from Lufthansa
Regulation 261/2004 sets no deadline of its own: the time limit comes from the national law of the country where you bring the claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11. Even a flight from a few years back may still qualify: enter the date and we will check.
How long Lufthansa takes to pay
If Lufthansa accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, we move on to a formal letter and, if necessary, court proceedings, which add a few months. As soon as the airline pays, we transfer your share by bank transfer.
Lost, delayed or damaged baggage with Lufthansa
Baggage is not covered by Regulation 261/2004 but by the Montreal Convention. At hubs like Frankfurt, bags sometimes miss the connection: fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the airport. Then send Lufthansa a written claim within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
Lufthansa contact details and flight status
- Registered office
- Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Cologne, Germany
- Main hubs
- Frankfurt am Main and Munich
- Claims
- Online passenger rights form in the help section of lufthansa.com
- Flight status
- Lufthansa app or the official website
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