Flight Delay Compensation, Lufthansa Only

A question about : Flight Delay Compensation, Lufthansa Only

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This discussion thread is linked to from our Flight Delays Compensation guide. Please read that for full help.

Best answers:

• Thanks Centipede,
  Having taken a look around on Flightstats, and searching for airport closures on 16 June 2012 - I can see that Jersey airport was closed on this date which led to a Lufthansa flight arriving nearly 600 minutes late (which may / may not have been my plane). Not Dusseldorf itself.
  Dusseldorf is a Lufthansa hub, i'd expect there to be some Lufthansa planes there that could have completed the journey (it's only about an hour after all).
  Given the small amount of people who I saw waiting around after the original flight was cancelled, I think they decided most of us would fit on the next one and decided to just cancel it.
• I've actually just been through Lufthansa flights on this day in and out of Dusseldorf.
  My original flight was meant to depart Dusseldorf at 18:30 local time.
  According to flightstats...
  40 Lufthansa flights arrived in to Dusseldorf between 12pm - 18:15pm local time.
  35 Lufthansa flights departed Dusseldorf between 12pm - 18:15pm local time.
  During the whole day from 12pm....
  65 Lufthansa flights flew in to Dusseldorf
  45 Lufthansa flights flew out of Dusseldorf
  Based on the first part, would the airline be inclined to use another aircraft rather than cancelling through? given that the stats say there should have been 5 spares just from the flight information available.
• Cheers Centipede, would the following response be suitable do you think? (with attachments of arrival and departures on that day):
  Dear Lufthansa,
  The closure of Jersey Airport during this day which may have caused a Lufthansa plane to arrive late in to Dusseldorf does not account for the fact that the flight information supplied proves that there were at least 5 spare aircraft at Dusseldorf (a Lufthansa Hub) at the time of our scheduled departure, and that Lufthansa chose not to use them to fulfil our booking adequately. Lufthansa did therefore not take reasonable measures to prevent this cancellation and delay to me under EU Regulation 261/2004.
  The information provided shows flight information for Lufthansa flights in and out of Dusseldorf Airport on 16 June 2012, between 12pm and 18:15pm local time - for the purposes of showing available aircraft for our 18:30pm departure which was cancelled.
  It clearly shows that 40 Lufthansa flights arrived in to Dusseldorf during this time frame, and only 35 flights departed during the same time period. Therefore leaving at least 5 available aircraft to carry out this journey and avoid this cancellation and unnecessary delays to myself and the other passengers on my booking.
  The actual flight slot of 18:30 would still have been available for this flight from Dusseldorf as the original flight would have still had this available time to take off, and therefore it was Lufthansa's decision to cancel this flight rather than operational decisions outside of their control.
  I look forward to hearing back from you within 14 days, following your consideration of this evidence and with regards the issuing of myself and the 3 other passengers on booking xxxxxx with compensation. Failing that I will have no choice but to take the matter further through the CAA and through a claims court.
  Yours Sincerely,
  
• I have just sent a letter. I will keep you guys updated because it seems Lufthansa haven't had many claims from MSE's.
  Hopefully I bring good news.
  Kieran.
• Good Luck Kieran,
  I responded to Lufthansa's extraordinary circumstances response with my argument and evidence for why I felt that they had not taken reasonable measures.
  It's been nearly 3 weeks now after requesting a response within 14 days but I've still not had anything back.
  I'll give them another week I think (because of the recent snow issues which probably caused a lot of customer service work for them) before pressing on through the CAA and potentially a small claims court for myself and the other 3 passengers on the booking.
• Anyone got the address to send claim to Lufthansa? Thanks
• I got quick responses from them by contacting them through their website contact form, they forwarded things on to relevant people. Still waiting for resolution though.
  Their address on documents I was sent by them in the post was:
  Lufthansa
  PO Box No. 9669
  Dublin 3
  Ireland
• y2jammie/centipede100
  I am new to forum discussions however have read your previous comments regarding Lufthansa delays/cancellations and took the courage to write to them also last Saturday.
  I used their website contact page however do you think I should post a letter directly to them? i.e. Germany/Ireland addresses
  Thanks Sicillian
  PS. your advice is fab!
• Contacting them through the customer service online system seems to be the easiest way of getting in touch with them. You also have proof that they've received your issue.
  They were very responsive to the process by email once they had got back to me originally, dealing with me solely online and not once asking me to post anything. They still haven't paid out and are playing hard ball, but online seems to be fine with them so wouldn't waste the money posting things to them.
• y2jammie
  Many thanks, I have just checked my emails and have received the standard reply from Lufthansa saying my claim has been passed to the relevant department and have quoted a feedback ference number.
  Will definitely stick with online communication for now.
  Can I ask how long ago you started process just so I have a rough idea of timeline?
• I submitted my original issue (requesting exact details of the flights that I was scheduled on/re-booked on to) on 4 December 2012, had a response on 17 December.
  That response basically asked me to send them a scanned copy of my passport and my signature in order for them to confirm that I boarded the flights in question and to make sure they send me the right information.
  I was then posted complete information of the flights I was scheduled to fly on from my booking, and the actual flights I took (including the cancelled flight details).
  I then told them that I would be proceeding with claiming compensation based on that information, and was passed on to their customer service team in Germany who they said handled compensation claims (as the UK team do not handle this and that is who I had been talking to).
  A few weeks later I had an email from Lufthansa in Germany telling me they'd taken sufficient measures etc etc - and we're still ongoing now.
• Just from reading their email I guess they're pre-warning me it is going to be a slow process. Hopefully they are dealing with your claim!
  Thank you for contacting Lufthansa German Airlines.
  We have registered your request under Feedback ID xxxxxx and have forwarded it to the corresponding department for further handling.
  If you would like to send us further information regarding your query, we kindly ask you to quote the Feedback ID as stated above.
  Currently, we are facing an exceptionally high amount of enquiries. Consequently, handling your case may take more time than usual. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.
  We ask for your understanding that we are unable to provide you with an update on the status of your feedback and kindly request your patience in awaiting our response.
  Please be advised that if you have contacted us regarding a ticket refund, we will forward your request immediately to our refund department. Our colleagues will arrange the corresponding refund handling. As a result of an increased volume of refund requests, we hope for your understanding that the refund process may take longer than normal.
  You may find answers to frequently asked questions on our website
  
• That's just their standard response, it won't take too long to get to speak with someone.
  I've just got in touch with the Germany air passenger rights people (LBA) who are going to deal with my complaint, although their complaint form basically says that if Lufthansa say no and I still want compensation i'll have to go through the Germany legal system because they generally just make sure airlines are behaving themselves and issue fines to airlines to try and keep them on the straight and narrow with regards to claims under 261/2004.
• I've sent Signed For letters to 2 UK addresses that I found on MSE used by claimants to serve summonses on Lufthansa in the past:
  1. Lufthansa German Airlines, World Business Centre, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2RD.
  2. Lufthansa German Airlines, 3 World Business Centre, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2TA.
  Letters to both these addresses have been "undelivered".
  Lufthansa have given me a Liverpool post box address but a summons cannot be served at one.
  Does anyone have a UK postal address at which a summons can be addressed, please?
• I'm following the advice given by MSE. The flights were booked in the UK and the flight was due to arrive in the UK so I wish to take Lufthansa to court in the UK.
  Royal Mail provided Lufthansa postal addresses in the UK. The claim letter I sent to the 1st address RM gave was delivered today:
  Lufthansa German Airlines, 2 Heathrow Boulevard, 284 Bath Road, Sipson, WEST DRAYTON, UB7 0DQ
• I might be wrong about the Lufthansa address:
  Lufthansa German Airlines, 3 World Business Centre, Newall Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW6 2TA.
  Royal Mail now tell me my letter wasn't delivered because it might have been lost.
• Just had an update from Lufthansa since their standard reply sent last week:
  Thank you very much for your online comment dated 16 February 2013. We appreciate your patience whilst awaiting our response.
  We would like to apologise to you since the delay to your flight LH905, on 21 June 2011 had a significant impact on the remainder of your journey. We understand how upsetting it is to have your journey disrupted in this way and very much regret the inconvenience this caused you.
  Punctuality and reliability are essential components of our corporate philosophy, and we do everything in our power to meet these high standards. For example, we maintain our aircraft more frequently than is officially required and we make flexible use of our crews.
  Unfortunately delays still happen on occasion despite our best endeavours. Your flight from London was subject to an arrival delay of 1 hour and 8 minutes due to the late arrival of the aircraft which was delayed on a previous flight as a result of restrictions imposed at Frankfurt Airport. We were sorry to learn that this delay would have caused you to miss your connecting flight to Dubai.
  In such situations, our main aim is to get our passengers to their final destination as quickly as possible. We trust you will appreciate that our ability to resolve these situations is subject to availability on alternative flights or forms of transportation and that such bookings are made in good faith. We are pleased to note that you were rebooked on flight EK30 to Dubai the same day.
  Airlines are not liable for delays caused by circumstances beyond their control and we are therefore unable to offer compensation. We hope for your understanding of our position in this matter.
  Although we are unable to comply with your request in this case, we would be pleased if you continued to place your trust in Lufthansa. Rest assured that we will do our utmost to ensure that your future journeys proceed as smoothly as possible.
  Yours sincerely,
  Chelsea Connor/Kara Drummond
  Lufthansa German Airlines
  Customer Feedback
  email: customer.feedback.eu@lufthansa.com
  Help!!!
  They failed to mentioned that I arrived in Dubai over 3 hours later (arriving at 2.50am the next day) than originally planned which I explained in my email to them.
  Original flight was scheduled to leave at 11.45am and they managed to get me on later flight 17.00 with another airline.
  It was only as I went to actually board flight in London that they told me I had to go back to baggage reclaim as I wouldn't arrive in time to catch connecting flight (booked with them on same booking) and go back to their desk. No explanantion at this point as they were hurrying people onto to flight.
  Should I go back and ask them as to what restrictions were imposed?
  Any advice is appreciated.
• I basically booked my flight directly with Lufthansa from LHR to Dubai.
  Arrived at airport and flight was delayed however I went straight towards the departure as listed on flight board in airport. As soon as the gates were open I went through into waiting lounge. At this point no-one from Lufthansa mentioned anything was wrong and that I would not get my connecting flight.
  As they opened boarding I went to desk (after queuing as one does) and was told that they had been calling me over tannoy! I pointed out to staff I had been sitting 15feet from their desk and heard nothing. Nevertheless I was told to reclaim my baggage and I was to hurry and all would be explained at the Lufthansa desk.
  Moving on...they rebooked me onto Emirates flight at my request as the flight (their own LH) they recommended would get me in to Dubai 8+ hours later.
  I arrived into Dubai 3hrs later on Emirates flight (which was fab!). LH Desk told me they did not know why my original flight was delayed.
• I've a claim with them from September last year. It was a strike and I'm claiming for a hotel at Dusseldorf airport, because all flights were cancelled. They've told me I will be refunded, they have my bank details, I have filled in the forms, but they still have not done it. Last reply I recieved from them was in December telling me to be patient. any advice, should I take this to letter? And to which address?