Lufthansa · LH · licensed in Germany
Lufthansa delayed flight compensation
Three hours late at your final destination and the cause wasn't extraordinary? Lufthansa owes €250, €400 or €600 per passenger under EU261. Here's the form it reads, the attachment limit that bounces claims, and what to send when it answers "operational reasons".
No account. The verdict comes before the payment screen.
Flight LH 439, delayed 4 hours 12 minutes: €600 owed per passenger.
| Distance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| Over 1,500 km, within the EU | €400 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 |
Lufthansa delayed flight compensation is the EU261 payment owed when an LH flight reaches its final destination 3 or more hours late: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger by great-circle distance. Lufthansa is licensed in Germany, so flights into the EU are covered as well as departures from it.
What Lufthansa owes, and from when
The amount comes off the distance table above. Whether anything is owed comes off four rules, and it's worth reading them before you write.
- 3 hours at the final destination. Not at the gate, not on departure — the arrival time at the last airport on the ticket. Two hours fifty-nine pays nothing. Authority: CJEU C-402/07 (Sturgeon).
- Denied boarding pays from the first minute. If you were bumped from an oversold LH flight, there's no delay threshold at all — Art. 4(3).
- A cancellation told to you 14 or more days ahead pays nothing. Inside 14 days it's compensable, subject to re-routing — Art. 5(1)(c)(i).
- Both directions are covered. Lufthansa is EU-licensed, so Art. 3(1)(b) reaches an LH flight into an EU airport from anywhere, not only departures out of one. The EU261 bands and who they cover set that out in full.
- CarrierLufthansa (IATA LH), licensed in Germany
- Claim formlufthansa.com/de/en/feedback-form
- Typical first replyAbout 6 weeks
- Attachment limit5 MB — larger files are rejected
- RegulatorLuftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), after the airline has had 8 weeks
- Deadline3 years from the flight date, under German limitation rules
Where to send a Lufthansa claim
Lufthansa takes EU261 claims on its own feedback and claim form. Start there rather than at a general customer-service inbox, and keep whatever reference the form gives back.
The form
File at Lufthansa's feedback and claim form. Name the flight number, the date, the arrival delay at your final destination, and every passenger on the booking.
The 5 MB limit
Lufthansa rejects attachments over 5 MB. Send the boarding pass as one compressed PDF rather than four phone photos. Austrian Airlines runs on the same Lufthansa Group handling and the same limit.
The clock
A first reply usually takes about 6 weeks. Diary the follow-up before you close the tab — the day-42 letter is what moves a silent file, and it should quote any reference you were given.
Rebutting the two rejections Lufthansa sends
Most LH refusals arrive in one of two shapes. Neither ends the claim.
"Operational reasons"
This is not a defence. Art. 5(3) excuses the airline only for an extraordinary circumstance that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, and "operational reasons" names no circumstance at all. The burden sits with Lufthansa: it has to identify the specific event, show it was outside its control, and show what it did to avoid the knock-on delay. Write back asking for exactly that, in those terms, and note that you'll take a non-answer to the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt.
A technical fault
Also rebuttable. A technical problem that comes to light during maintenance or from a failure in normal operation is inherent in an airline's ordinary activity, so it isn't extraordinary — CJEU C-549/07 (Wallentin-Hermann). Quote the case, say the aircraft was in Lufthansa's control, and repeat the request. A strike by the airline's own staff fails for the same reason. What does excuse Lufthansa is set out in what counts as an extraordinary circumstance.
The 3-hour test is measured on arrival at your final destination, not on departure. A 90-minute late push-back that turns into a 3-hour-20 arrival still qualifies, and a four-hour departure that the crew makes up in the air may not. State which number you're claiming on and where it came from.
If nothing comes back: the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt
Germany's national enforcement body for EU261 is the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, and complaining to it costs nothing. It wants to see that Lufthansa has had about 8 weeks and either refused or stayed silent, so the sequence matters: form, wait, follow-up, then the LBA. An airline that has ignored a passenger for two months often finds an answer once a regulator is copied in.
The deadline behind all of this is German. A claim against Lufthansa runs on a 3-year limitation period from the flight date, which is longer than the Netherlands or Italy at 2 years and much shorter than the UK at 6. Assume it keeps running while you wait on the LBA.
Where EU261 doesn't reach
The cases where this page can't help you, first, because a page that oversells coverage is worse than no page.
- Non-EU to non-EU. An LH flight from a non-EU airport to another non-EU airport is outside EU261 entirely. The regulation attaches to departures from the EU/EEA and, because Lufthansa is EU-licensed, to arrivals into it — not to a leg that touches neither end.
- Weather, ATC or airport strikes, security incidents and medical emergencies. These are extraordinary under Art. 5(3), and the compensation duty falls away. Weather rejections in particular are frequent and often correct.
- Care rights survive anyway. Art. 9 still applies on a departure from an EU/EEA airport whatever the cause: meals proportionate to the wait, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers from 8 hours or on a cancellation that keeps you overnight. From 5 hours late you can take a refund instead of travelling.
What sending it yourself costs
Nothing, if you write the letters. A claim company will do it on no-win-no-fee and take a percentage of the payout, which is a fair trade on a contested claim and an expensive one on a clear-cut LH delay.
| Route | Their cut | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Claim company · 35% | −€210 | €390 |
| FlightOwe · $19 flat | $19 | €600 |
35% is the rate this site compares against; check the current one in any company's own terms. Compensation is per passenger, so four of you in the €600 band is €2,400 — and the $19 kit covers the whole booking either way. It's the wrong buy if you won't send a follow-up in six weeks.
How the claim runs
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Check the flight, free
Route, date, arrival delay, what Lufthansa said, how many of you. You get the band, the amount and the article it comes from, before any payment screen.
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File on the Lufthansa form
Send the cited claim through the LH feedback and claim form, boarding pass as one PDF under 5 MB, and keep any reference it returns.
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Follow up at about six weeks
If LH has gone quiet, or answered with "operational reasons" or a technical fault, send the dated follow-up with the rebuttal attached.
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Complain to the LBA at eight weeks
Free, pre-addressed, and the point at which many silent files move. The full claim sequence, with the dates covers what happens if it still doesn't.
Questions people ask about LH claims
How much compensation does Lufthansa pay for a delayed flight?
€250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for a flight over 1,500 km within the EU or between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 over 3,500 km — per passenger, from 3 hours late at the final destination. Frankfurt to Newark falls in the €600 band.
How long does Lufthansa take to reply to a claim?
About 6 weeks for a first reply is typical. If nothing has arrived by then, send a dated follow-up quoting any reference from the claim form. After about 8 weeks the German regulator, the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, will take a complaint.
Lufthansa said "operational reasons" — is that a valid excuse?
No. "Operational reasons" is not a defined defence under Art. 5(3). Lufthansa has to name a specific extraordinary circumstance and show it could not have avoided the delay even with all reasonable measures. Ask for that in writing and say the file goes to the LBA otherwise.
Can Lufthansa refuse because of a technical fault?
Not on its own. A technical problem arising in normal operation is inherent in an airline's activity and so isn't extraordinary, under CJEU C-549/07 (Wallentin-Hermann). Quote the case in your reply. A strike by Lufthansa's own staff fails for the same reason.
Why did Lufthansa reject my claim attachment?
Most likely size. Lufthansa rejects attachments over 5 MB, so a few phone photos of a boarding pass will bounce. Combine them into one compressed PDF under the limit. Austrian Airlines uses the same Lufthansa Group handling and the same 5 MB ceiling.
How long do I have to claim against Lufthansa?
3 years from the flight date, because German limitation rules govern a claim against a German-licensed carrier. That is longer than the Dutch or Italian 2 years and shorter than the UK's 6. Work on the basis that it keeps running while the LBA looks at your complaint.
Does EU261 cover a Lufthansa flight into Europe?
Yes. Arrivals into an EU or EEA airport are covered when the operating carrier is EU-licensed, and Lufthansa is licensed in Germany. A flight from one non-EU airport to another non-EU airport is outside the regulation, whoever flies it.
Find out what your LH flight is worth
The band, the article it comes from, and whether the reason Lufthansa gave is one it can hide behind. Free, before any payment screen.
FlightOwe is an information service, not a law firm and not your legal representative. We tell you what the rules say and give you the letters — you file your own claim and keep everything you recover.