Lufthansa: Court Case and Refund

Hi, Lufthansa is really pushing it:

Cancellation of two flights with no rebooking options offered, even though rebooking is possible on the same dates with comparable travel times. Yet Lufthansa claims no rebooking is possible;

To get a refund for a flight canceled by the airline (well after the Covid crisis), you have to take legal action! A refund request was properly submitted, but Lufthansa hasn’t responded.

Lufthansa’s lawyer admitted in court that the refund request is valid and that the airline is willing to refund. But over a year later, the refund still hasn’t been issued! Clearly, Lufthansa prefers to wait for a court ruling, which is a sure thing given their own lawyer’s statement;

After a phone call initiated by the passenger, rebooking was agreed upon by both parties—only for Lufthansa to cancel it immediately without offering any alternative rebooking.

In a follow-up call initiated by the passenger, Lufthansa proposed a rebooking with a travel time of 31 hours instead of 21, even though faster rebooking options with comparable travel times exist.

The proposed 31-hour rebooking includes a nighttime layover of over 12 hours with no hotel or transportation coverage;

For the first rebooking that both parties agreed on (but Lufthansa immediately canceled), they refused to cover ground transportation from the arrival airport to the originally planned airport;

Refusal of other "prompt" rebooking options, even though they were available and proposed by the passenger;

Ongoing legal case: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/ 2 Best regards,

Hi there,

It’s worth knowing that Lufthansa—and Germany, for that matter—aren’t doing too well; neither really knows where they stand anymore. I’m actually pretty curious to see how they’ll enforce Germany’s new rules, which suspend—and likely exit—Schengen without consultation. On top of a massive airport tax hike, it’s not certain this policy won’t simply sink the airline, given its tarnished image and plummeting service quality. Too big to fail? We’ll see. LOT Polish, part of the same group, pulled the cancellation trick on me the other day—just 4 days before the flight—offering a reroute 48 hours after the original departure. That’s gonna cost them 250 €—the refund, though, they processed immediately, and I had it in 5 days... So I ended up booking with Air Baltic instead; not bad, Air Baltic.

Michel

Hi there,

Airline to absolutely avoid.

I also have a dispute with Lufthansa over a canceled flight with no alternative offered and no way to reach them! The case is being handled by "Air-Indemnity." They haven’t received a response from Lufthansa. They’ve forwarded the file to their lawyer, and it’s now awaiting judgment.

Lufthansa compensated us with 55 € each (2 passengers) for a Paris-Frankfurt flight, but according to EU regulations, we should have received 250 € each—it’s a flat rate.

Then, our Frankfurt-Windhoek flight was delayed by 12 hours. According to Lufthansa, it was a case of *force majeure*, so no compensation!

Our travel agency in Namibia strongly advises against flying with Lufthansa because these kinds of issues happen every month, sometimes multiple times a month.

Some French travel agencies no longer offer trips to Namibia with Lufthansa.

Lufthansa ordered to pay 600 € in compensation. Lufthansa flight on Dec. 4, 2023, canceled the day before! No replacement offered, couldn’t reach them by phone, no response to our email after we got back, and they didn’t even follow the European directive! We handed the case over to Air Indemnité, and after about a year and a half of proceedings (completely hassle-free for us), Lufthansa was ruled against. Thanks to Air Indemnité! I highly recommend using them for your air travel disputes. A law firm specializing in air travel disputes had refused to take our case. We found them online. Makes you wonder who’s behind these so-called firms, right? We got 300 € each (for two people).

Hi, Taking charge yourself is the most effective way. It’s easy and free. See the Lufthansa example here:

Just a heads-up: this link will be updated soon since, of course, Lufthansa had to reimburse the 80 € paid to the *Commissaire de justice* (the new name for bailiffs).

Best regards

Oops, I forgot the link in my previous message! https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/

Hello,

Here’s the conclusion of this case against Lufthansa: - Lufthansa was ordered to refund the flight ticket it had canceled itself, plus 200 €, and to cover legal costs; - The judgment remained unenforced a month and a half later; - The passenger hired a judicial commissioner (the new term for bailiffs) to "serve" the judgment. They advanced 80.06 €. - Lufthansa refunded the canceled ticket; - A few days later, they paid the 200 €; - The passenger reminded Lufthansa’s lawyer that, since the airline was ordered to cover legal costs, they owed the 80.06 € advanced for the judicial commissioner; - No response, so a follow-up email was sent; - Still no response, so the passenger sent another reminder to Lufthansa’s lawyer, this time specifying they would hire the judicial commissioner again—this time for a bank account seizure; - Lufthansa refunded the 80.06 €.

https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/

Best regards,

Good evening,

All of this is well and good, but there comes a time when we measure the cost of our time, our mental load, and our hassles. And when we set our priorities. LH is bothering you—you settle the matter by excluding them from your commercial choices. As I do, by the way, for different reasons than yours, but just as resolutely.

Michel

Hi, In this case, the time spent on this Lufthansa matter amounted to: - One registered letter; - Filling out a form and writing a statement for the court; - A few brief emails to Lufthansa’s lawyer; - A quick visit to the bailiff to have them enforce the judgment. And that’s it!

On another note, here’s my experience with IBERIA: After successfully suing Iberia for compensation due to three delays of "3 hours or more" (two cases, one combining two flights), I continued flying with Iberia.

Here’s what happened with a round-trip ticket from Paris to Santo Domingo via Madrid:

On the return to Paris: At Santo Domingo airport, a departure delay made the connection extremely tight, just a few minutes within the MCT. When I arrived in Madrid, I saw on the screens that the flight to Paris had been rescheduled 5 minutes later (not delayed, but actually changed). As I approached the gate, where no passengers were left waiting, someone called out to me from quite a distance (at least fifteen meters away): "Paris?" I replied "sí." They checked my documents, I boarded, and the plane door closed behind me. I reached my seat, where a flight attendant was sitting, and she got up as soon as I arrived. The plane took off almost immediately.

So, unlike you, I don’t rule out an airline just because I’ve taken legal action against them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Best regards,