When Lufthansa has to pay
Lufthansa is a European airline, so EU rules (UK261 in the UK) protect you on all its flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or the UK — and on its flights into Europe from anywhere in the world.
Claim from Lufthansa directly, through its customer service or claim form — or let a claims service deal with Lufthansa for you. If another airline actually operated your flight, that airline pays, not the one on the ticket.
EU261 compensation table: how much you get
The amount is fixed by law. It depends on the distance of the flight, not on the ticket price, and it is paid per passenger — children with their own ticket included.
| Flight distance | Flights from the EU | Flights from the UK |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| Within the EU over 1,500 km, or 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
Distance is measured in a straight line between the airports. If the airline offered you a replacement flight that got you there only a little late — within 2, 3 or 4 hours, depending on the distance — the amount can be halved.
Your passenger rights while you wait
Compensation is only part of it. When your flight is delayed long enough, the airline must look after you at the airport — whatever caused the delay, bad weather included.
- Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, from 2 hours of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 hours on medium-haul and 4 hours on long-haul flights
- Two phone calls or emails
- A hotel room and transport to it, if you have to wait overnight
- From 5 hours of delay: a refund of the ticket if you decide not to fly
- If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding: a choice between a refund and a replacement flight, plus the same care while you wait
If the airline gives you nothing, buy what you reasonably need and keep the receipts: the airline has to reimburse reasonable expenses.
Moved to a lower class?
If the airline puts you in a lower class than you paid for, it must refund 30% of the ticket price for that flight on routes up to 1,500 km, 50% on routes within the EU over 1,500 km and on other routes of 1,500–3,500 km, and 75% on longer flights.
How to claim
If you're entitled, one tap takes you to a partner claims service that deals with the airline for you. Such services usually work on a no-win, no-fee basis and share part of their commission with us — that's how checking your flight in Vylet stays free.
How to claim without a service
You don't need a lawyer or a claims company to claim — they only save you the paperwork.
- Keep your booking confirmation, boarding pass and any receipts. A photo of the departure board helps too.
- Write to the airline that operated the flight. Give the flight number, date and booking reference, refer to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK261 for flights from the UK), state the amount and add your bank details.
- Compensation must be paid in money. You don't have to accept a voucher unless you agree to it in writing.
- If the airline refuses or doesn't reply within about eight weeks, complain to the national enforcement body or an alternative dispute resolution body in the country the flight departed from — or go to court.
In the UK, complaints go to the Civil Aviation Authority or an approved ADR scheme.
Questions and answers
Which flights are covered?
Every flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or the UK, whatever the airline. Flights arriving in Europe from outside are covered only if the airline is European (for the UK: a UK or EU airline). You need a confirmed booking and must have checked in on time. Package holidays count too; free tickets that are not available to the public do not, but frequent-flyer award tickets do.
How is the delay measured?
At your final destination, from the moment at least one aircraft door opens — not when the wheels touch down. With connecting flights on a single booking, what counts is how late you reach your final destination, even if you missed a connection outside Europe.
Is there compensation for a 2-hour delay?
Not in cash: the fixed compensation starts at a 3-hour delay at your final destination. But from 2 hours on flights up to 1,500 km — 3 hours on medium-haul and 4 hours on long-haul flights — the airline must provide meals and refreshments while you wait.
What are extraordinary circumstances?
Events the airline could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures: severe weather, air traffic control decisions and strikes, security risks, political unrest, a bird strike. Most technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff are not extraordinary — the airline still has to pay. It is the airline that must prove the circumstances were extraordinary.
Who pays — the airline or the travel agency?
The airline that actually operated the flight, even if you booked with a travel agency or the ticket carries another airline's flight number.
Is compensation the same as a refund?
No. A refund returns the price of a ticket you didn't use. Compensation is a fixed amount for the disruption itself, so you can be entitled to both.
I was denied boarding because the flight was overbooked. Am I entitled?
Yes, unless you gave up your seat voluntarily in exchange for benefits agreed with the airline. Denied boarding is paid even in bad weather: the extraordinary-circumstances exemption does not apply to it.
How long do I have to claim?
The regulation sets no deadline, so national law applies: depending on the country, from one to ten years. Older flights are often still worth checking.
In the Vylet app
Departures and arrivals for Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø and six more Norwegian airports, plus Hamburg, updated every few minutes. Tap a delayed or cancelled flight to check your compensation with the route and delay already filled in, or follow it to get an alert when its status changes. Live departure boards for Russian airports, with an automatic mass-delay detector and a guide to passenger rights under Russian rules.
More on your rights
- Flight delay compensation calculator
- Compensation for a cancelled flight
- Compensation for denied boarding and overbooking
Compensation by airline
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