Lufthansa cancelled or delayed flight: your compensation
If your Lufthansa flight arrived 3 hours or more late, was cancelled at short notice, or you were denied boarding, EU Regulation 261/2004 may entitle you to €250 to €600 per passenger — whatever you paid for the ticket.
Last updated: September 29, 2026
Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.
How much you can claim
- €250
- Flights up to 1,500 km
- €400
- Flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and every flight over 1,500 km within the EU
- €600
- Flights over 3,500 km, except flights within the EU
Per passenger, including children with their own seat. If the airline re-routed you and you arrived no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, depending on the distance, it may halve the amount (Article 7(2)).
No win, no fee: if we recover your compensation, we keep 25% incl. VAT. If we don't, you pay nothing.
When EU261 covers a Lufthansa flight
EU261 covers every Lufthansa flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because Lufthansa is a European airline, it also covers its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
Your rights by situation
Delayed flight
If you reached your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to compensation as if the flight had been cancelled, as the Court of Justice of the EU confirmed in 2009 (Sturgeon). What counts is when you arrive — when the aircraft doors open — not when you took off.
Cancelled flight
If Lufthansa cancelled your flight and told you less than 14 days before departure, compensation is due unless it offered you another flight leaving and arriving close to your original times (Article 5). Whatever the notice, you can choose between a refund and a replacement flight.
Denied boarding
If you were refused boarding against your will — usually because the flight was overbooked — although you had a confirmed booking and checked in on time, compensation is due straight away (Article 4).
Care while you wait
Whatever caused the disruption, while you wait Lufthansa must provide meals and refreshments and, if you have to stay overnight, a hotel and transport to it (Article 9).
What to know about claiming from Lufthansa
- Lufthansa holds a German operating licence, so it is a European airline. EU261 covers its flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
- A flight sold as Lufthansa may be operated by another airline of the group: Lufthansa City Airlines, licensed in Germany; Air Dolomiti, licensed in Italy, which flies between Italy and Munich or Frankfurt; or, until it stopped flying in April 2026, Lufthansa CityLine. All are European airlines, so EU261 applies in the same way, and compensation is owed by the airline that operated the flight.
- Lufthansa flies long-haul from Frankfurt and Munich. On flights over 3,500 km the compensation is €600, both leaving the EU and, because Lufthansa is a European airline, flying into Germany. On those flights, arriving 3 to 4 hours late gives half the amount, €300; arriving 4 hours or more late gives the full €600.
- Many Lufthansa journeys change planes in Frankfurt or Munich. If you missed a connection on a single booking, what counts is how late you reached your final destination (Court of Justice of the EU, Folkerts, C-11/11, 2013), and the amount follows the distance from your first departure airport to your final destination (Bossen, C-559/16, 2017).
- In 2026, Lufthansa's own pilots (Vereinigung Cockpit) and cabin crew (UFO) went on strike several times, including on 12 February and in April, over pensions and working conditions. A strike by an airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance (Court of Justice of the EU, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021), so flights cancelled or delayed by these strikes generally give a right to compensation. Strikes by others, such as airport security staff or air traffic controllers, generally do not.
When compensation is unlikely
Compensation is usually not due when:
- the flight arrived less than 3 hours late;
- you were told about the cancellation at least 14 days before departure;
- the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken — for example severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, a security risk, or a strike by staff who do not work for the airline;
- the flight is not covered by EU261 (see above).
A technical fault, or a strike by Lufthansa's own staff, is generally not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually still due.
If Lufthansa refuses to pay
If Lufthansa rejects your claim or does not reply, you can complain to the national enforcement body of the country your flight departed from.
Every EU country has one, as do Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
Or let us handle it: we take your claim to Lufthansa, and to the enforcement body or to court if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does EU261 cover my Lufthansa flight?
EU261 covers every Lufthansa flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because Lufthansa is a European airline, it also covers its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
How much compensation can I get from Lufthansa?
€250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and for every flight over 1,500 km within the EU, and €600 for longer flights — per passenger, whatever the ticket cost.
What does it cost to claim with Airkarma?
Nothing up front. If we recover your compensation, we keep 25% incl. VAT. If we don't, you pay nothing.
Lufthansa cancelled my flight because its pilots or cabin crew were on strike. Can I claim?
Generally, yes: a strike by Lufthansa's own staff does not release it from paying compensation, provided you were told less than 14 days before departure or arrived 3 hours or more late. A strike by airport staff or air traffic controllers is different and usually gives no compensation, although Lufthansa must still offer you a refund or another flight, and meals and, if needed, a hotel while you wait.
My Lufthansa flight was operated by Air Dolomiti or Lufthansa City Airlines. Who owes the compensation?
The airline that operated the flight, named as "operated by" on your booking or boarding pass. Both are European airlines covered by EU261, with the same rules and amounts as Lufthansa itself.
My Lufthansa ticket included a flight operated by a partner such as United. Am I covered?
It depends on where that flight departed from. A flight departing from the EU is covered whichever airline operates it. A flight into the EU is covered only if a European airline operated it, so a flight from the United States to Frankfurt operated by United is not covered, even on a Lufthansa ticket.
Airkarma is an independent claims service and is not affiliated with Lufthansa.