I figured some OMAAT readers would get a kick out of my recent experience trying to deal with customer relations at Eurowings Discover, which is Lufthansa’s low cost, long haul subsidiary.
In this post:
Compensation for a canceled Eurowings Discover flight
On March 24, 2022, we were scheduled to fly Eurowings Discover from Tampa (TPA) to Frankfurt (FRA). The flight ended up being canceled, and we rebooked for the same flight the following day.
While the cancelation was a bummer, the good news is that because we were flying an airline based in the European Union, we were entitled to EU261 compensation. With this, you’re owed 600 Euro per person when your long haul flight is canceled or delayed by at least four hours.
The process of actually getting that compensation, though, is a different story. In the end it took over six months of being patient, though fortunately it all worked out in the end.
Contacting Eurowings Discover customer relations
The first challenge is actually getting in contact with Eurowings Discover customer relations. Keep in mind that Eurowings Discover is technically a separate airline from Eurowings, as the former operates long haul flights, while the latter operates short haul flights.
Honestly, try finding a customer relations contact form for Eurowings Discover. It’s not easy. Fortunately I did eventually manage to find this form. It’s on Eurowings’ website, and then when you fill out the customer relations form, you have to select Eurowings Discover as the “topic.”
You’d think Eurowings Discover would have its own website and its own contact form, rather than just being a dropdown in the Eurowings form, but I digress. I submitted my request for EU261 compensation within a couple of days of the flight, so let me share the overall timeline of events.
My first correspondence on April 1
On April 1, I received my first response email. This was an automated email that stated the following:
Thank you for your request. We have already handed it over to our service team with the reference number (Feedback ID XXXXXXXX).
With kindest regards
Your Eurowings Discover customer relations team
Lufthansa Customer Relations on behalf of Eurowings Discover
Okay, fair enough. I recognize airlines are understaffed, so an automated acknowledgement within a few days was totally fair. I still don’t understand why my email would have to be “forwarded” to any particular team, since you’d think they could just make it easy to contact Eurowings Discover directly.
My second correspondence on June 2
Over two months later, on June 2, I received another email:
Thank you for your email dated April 1, 2022 and your continuous patience.
We have forwarded your inquiry to Eurowings so that it can be given the attention it so rightfully deserves. Their service team will contact you directly.
This email was signed by Lufthansa customer relations. Okay, so it took another two plus months for my email to even be forwarded to Eurowings, even though I initially submitted my request through Eurowings? Never mind that Eurowings and Eurowings Discover aren’t the same airline…
My third correspondence on October 5
I figured Eurowings Discover had forgotten about me, so I was quite jazzed when I received an email on October 5, 2022, which seemed to be written by a human:
Thank you for continuous correspondence
We realize that you have been waiting on our response to your claim for a significant amount of time and we would like to apologize for this delay. This certainly does not reflect the standard of service you rightly expect from us.
In order to resolve your concern we would like to offer you a payment of in the hope that this pragmatic solution contributes to a positive conclusion of your travel experience. Please note that this offer is without prejudice to the legal and factual situation.
Please provide us with your bank details and your address in order for us to initiate the transfer to your account without further delay. Once received this settlement will be transferred without further notice.
Please allow for some days for the transaction to clear. Thank you in advance for your patience in this respect.
We would be very happy to welcome you aboard a Eurowing Discover flight again soon.
Okay, I was delighted when I saw that Eurowings Discover was going to pay EU261 compensation without me having to put up a fight, since airlines often try find ways out of it. There was only one small problem — the email omitted the amount.
Yes, I was offered a “payment of in the hope that this pragmatic solution contributes to a positive conclusion of your travel experience.” A payment of what, though?
The amount should be 600 Euro, though I also wasn’t going to agree to an undisclosed amount. Who knows, maybe they were offering 50 Euro. So of course I responded back asking what the amount was. With the rate at which things were going, I was hoping for a resolution by 2024…
Fortunately things got better from here.
My fourth correspondence on October 10
When I responded to Eurowings Discover, I wondered how long it would be until I heard back. Fortunately I guess once a case number and specific person are assigned to something, it goes a little faster. Here’s the latest email:
Thank you for recent correspondence
We realize that you have been waiting on our response to your claim for a significant amount of time and we would like to apologize for this delay. This certainly does not reflect the standard of service you rightly expect from us.
In order to resolve your concern we would like to offer you a payment of 1200 EUR, in the hope that this pragmatic solution contributes to a positive conclusion of your travel experience. Please note that this offer is without prejudice to the legal and factual situation.
Please provide us with your bank details and your address in order for us to initiate the transfer to your account without further delay. Once received this settlement will be transferred without further notice.
Please allow for some days for the transaction to clear. Thank you in advance for your patience in this respect.
We would be very happy to welcome you aboard a Eurowing Discover flight again soon.
Someone might want to let the customer service reps know that the name of the airline is Eurowings Discover, not Eurowing Discover, but that’s besides the point. 😉 I was just thrilled to have this resolved at last.
I received our payment on October 20
I had sent along bank details right away, and sure enough, the payment posted on October 20. The exchange rate was also especially favorable — the compensation was supposed to be 600 Euro per person (~$590 with today’s exchange rate), but we got $674.55 per person.
It would appear to me that Eurowings Discover actually uses the exchange rate that was in place at the time of the flight, so that worked to our advantage here.
Why this is kind of a problem
Right or wrong, admittedly many airlines have had greatly delayed response times for emails directed to customer relations. That’s due to a combination of staffing issues, as well as a lot of people submitting customer service complaints over refunds, delayed bags, flight cancelations, etc.
It’s funny how the EU very clearly dictates what compensation passengers are entitled to in the event of operational issues, but there’s not much enforcement when it comes to the timeline with which this has to be handled. In the end, it took over six months for this to be resolved.
On some level I can’t help but feel like it’s not a coincidence that Eurowings Discover makes it so hard to submit feedback, and that your information is just consistently “forwarded” on to different departments.
Some might say “well what do you expect from a low cost carrier?” Well, I think it’s important to note that Lufthansa is transferring several routes to Eurowings Discover this winter. So passengers who booked “standard” Lufthansa flights for this winter will now largely end up on Eurowings Discover. And you can bet those passengers won’t get any sort of a refund for being booked on a lower cost airline.
For example, Eurowings Discover is replacing Lufthansa on routes from Frankfurt to Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Vancouver. So if things go wrong, you can look forward to this level of customer service. Then again, I’m not sure you’ll get much better customer service at Lufthansa either.
Bottom line
Trying to claim EU261 compensation with Eurowings Discover sure has been an adventure. It took over six months to get a non-automated reply, and go figure that email omitted the single most important detail. Fortunately things went smoothly from there, and I’ve now received the payment.
This reminded me of just how not fun it is to get any sort of post-flight customer service from an airline. Some might say “well wasn’t this a huge waste of your time?” The reality is that I spent five minutes submitting the initial email requesting EU261 compensation. While it took months and months to get a response, I didn’t actually have to do anything. Aside from writing this blog post, I’d say I spent roughly 15 minutes on the whole process, so I’d call this a very good use of time, for a ~$1,350 reward.
If you’ve had to deal with customer service at a European airline lately, what was your experience like?
Hi guys..I am in a similar situation.I seem to be stuck at the stage where I was asked to submit my account number.I live in England and submitted the name,sort code and account number of my Barclays account .After not hearing from them for months...I sent another message.I got the reply that after they initiated the pay,it got cancelled. I WAS ASKER TO SUBMIT another set of correct bank details. ANYONE has any idea what I might be doing wrong?
We had a terrible experience with Eurowings Discover and are still suffering the consequences. The pilot decided to leave Lanzarote Airport without all of the passengers luggage. Our luggage is now in Limbo with no updates from the airline and no response to our messages. We will never fly Lufthansa or Eurowings Discover again.
Hi Ben,
Just wanted to thank you for this post. I'm one of the people you mentioned who had booked Lufthansa out of Vancouver, but surprise, ended up on Eurowings Discover. And yes, the day before departure they cancelled my flight. But I had remembered reading your post and immediately searched for it, which made applying for compensation much easier! So far the process has been a lot more straightforward for me, though I guess...
Hi Ben,
Just wanted to thank you for this post. I'm one of the people you mentioned who had booked Lufthansa out of Vancouver, but surprise, ended up on Eurowings Discover. And yes, the day before departure they cancelled my flight. But I had remembered reading your post and immediately searched for it, which made applying for compensation much easier! So far the process has been a lot more straightforward for me, though I guess I should wait until the money arrives. I submitted the form, and the first response arrived 14 days later, offering me 600€. I replied instantly with banking details, now another 14 days have passed with no reply (or bank transfer). But I'm optimistic!
Update: no money, no further reply (though I've added a couple of messages) and my optimism has waned).
You've had a better experience with LH group customer service than I did! I suffered an injury at FRA when the inbound LOT aircraft was late and I had to run through the terminal to make the last connection to ABZ. It was a coach transfer to the aircraft. The coach floor was soaking wet and there were no warning signs. I slipped and fell badly. I was wearing cream trousers so it was obvious...
You've had a better experience with LH group customer service than I did! I suffered an injury at FRA when the inbound LOT aircraft was late and I had to run through the terminal to make the last connection to ABZ. It was a coach transfer to the aircraft. The coach floor was soaking wet and there were no warning signs. I slipped and fell badly. I was wearing cream trousers so it was obvious that I had slipped and fallen on the wet floor as they were covered in mud. Nevertheless, the LH gate agent was shouting and screaming at me. I complained on the flight and numerous times by email. LH ignored and ignored me and then finally proclaimed that the time period for complaints had expired and the case would not be considered. I have not flown with LH since - and would do everything to avoid them.
Sorry, the winner in bad airline customer service goes hands down to TAP Air Portugal or "Take Another Plane".
My experience both with LH and LX (in separate cases) is that the will only pay based on EU261 if you involve the respective civil aviation authority. They have the power to fine the airline in case of non-compliance and I understand both LH and LX have been fined in recent history. They are really bad, both of them.
You should maybe consider trying resolver. A uk based site that helps resolve all sorts of customer service issues, especially airline claims, for free. They ask you for details about the claim, generate an email and have escalation scenarios too. It does behave as if you’re based in the UK but just carry on entering your actual details from any country. Have used them successfully and speedily for eu261. Give it a try resolver.co.uk
Lufthansa (and by extension SWISS) seems to be circling the drain, service wise.
I’m trying to move as much travel as possible to AF (F/LP tickets) as a result.
I’m sorry for the markets that are getting “Lufthansa Light” in replacement of mainline LH flights. Good luck to those customers.
My recent EU 261 claim with Delta for a flight cancellation out of Munich this summer was resolved in about two months, which seems to be a pretty common data point for that airline. They also reimbursed in full an eye-wateringly high walk up price at the Munich Airport Hilton when I noted that the Delta desk at the airport was shut down after lunch so I couldn’t get a voucher and ended up just...
My recent EU 261 claim with Delta for a flight cancellation out of Munich this summer was resolved in about two months, which seems to be a pretty common data point for that airline. They also reimbursed in full an eye-wateringly high walk up price at the Munich Airport Hilton when I noted that the Delta desk at the airport was shut down after lunch so I couldn’t get a voucher and ended up just checking back into the place we’d spent the previous night. Once claim was approved, the e-credit was in my SkyMiles account instantly (Delta lets you take a 800 euro e-credit instead of the 600 cash) and I had $500+ in my bank account for duty of care reimbursement the next day.
What happend to the compensation from SQ for the delay?
Less than six hours delay
I'm flying YVR to Fra in November. My flight booking changes daily. (Actually, from YXS to Amman via FRA). I lost my seat booking which cost $52. Lufthansa can't reserve seats, but they told me to call Eurowings. If that doesn't work, Lufthansa did say I'm entitled to a seat fee refund as they initiated the airline change. I'm seeing more and more disgruntled posts about it. Not much choices for a single ticket booking...
I'm flying YVR to Fra in November. My flight booking changes daily. (Actually, from YXS to Amman via FRA). I lost my seat booking which cost $52. Lufthansa can't reserve seats, but they told me to call Eurowings. If that doesn't work, Lufthansa did say I'm entitled to a seat fee refund as they initiated the airline change. I'm seeing more and more disgruntled posts about it. Not much choices for a single ticket booking from where I live. I don't want to make a separate booking from Vancouver, so I am covered if flight from yxs is delayed it cancelled.
Having lived in Germany 13 years now one must understand that customer service is non existent in Germany.
Most companies look at it as an expensive undertaking but the main problem is that German people don’t know better and accept it.
Very frustrating at times.
Eurowings and Condor are the worst. They are low cost carriers often outsourcing everything. With a questionable safety record its best to stay away from them.
Yes Eurowings Discovery is the Worst. I have had same problems. I even was Stranded this year June at Frankfurt Airport making several calls where nobody picks up the Phone. Right now I fly peacefully with Qatar Airways which is easier for me. If I miss, I go with Turkish Airlines. Very friendly, they Respond very quickly and have many options to cater for their clients. IAM in Hospitality Industry for over a decade, but...
Yes Eurowings Discovery is the Worst. I have had same problems. I even was Stranded this year June at Frankfurt Airport making several calls where nobody picks up the Phone. Right now I fly peacefully with Qatar Airways which is easier for me. If I miss, I go with Turkish Airlines. Very friendly, they Respond very quickly and have many options to cater for their clients. IAM in Hospitality Industry for over a decade, but what Eurowings Discovery is doing to Clients is disgusting. It is very disappointing that such a big company with many personalities cannot solve clients problems. I miss Air Berlin so much. It was one of the best flights I’ve ever used since I started flying in and out of the country. Big thumb for Qatar airlines and Turkish Airlines. I have used them severally and have no problem. Thank you for bringing out this topic, I was eargerly waiting for this.
Similar issue with Deutsche Bahn, months after a significant train delay which results in compensation, I haven't heard word one from them after mailing (yes, post is the only way to deal with it apparently) the paperwork in.
German customer service generally isn't a thing anyways. Not always, sometimes you get lucky, but as a customer I often get the feeling (and impression from the interactions) that I'm bothering whoever I have to deal with....
Similar issue with Deutsche Bahn, months after a significant train delay which results in compensation, I haven't heard word one from them after mailing (yes, post is the only way to deal with it apparently) the paperwork in.
German customer service generally isn't a thing anyways. Not always, sometimes you get lucky, but as a customer I often get the feeling (and impression from the interactions) that I'm bothering whoever I have to deal with. Airline employees, car dealers, restaurants, grocery store workers, etc.
It's not a slam against Germans, it's simply a cultural difference that is quite different from most other countries I've visited or lived in. I don't particularly like it, but it's their country, not mine lol
About Deutsche Bahn I cannot agree, you can submit your claim via the app and money should be on your account within a week,
Regardless of whatever hoops one has to jump through to get a refund you are due, months is not an acceptable timeframe to wait.
The language of the last two emails is almost word for word what I received from my Lufthansa claim, except they did say the amount of the payment.
I was very surprised that I didn’t need to put up a fight at all.
Flight was in May, I claimed in July. Got paid in September.
Why I use AirHelp to do the claim for me. Who has time for this?
It is huge mistake to wait for the compensation directly from the airline and in due time.
I always face such problems and you hsve to follow these steps
1. File the claim to the airline and keep a copy or thei reply handy.
2. After a week file a claim attaching the original claim to the airline and all requested data such as flight number, company, date etc... at the national aeronautical service...
It is huge mistake to wait for the compensation directly from the airline and in due time.
I always face such problems and you hsve to follow these steps
1. File the claim to the airline and keep a copy or thei reply handy.
2. After a week file a claim attaching the original claim to the airline and all requested data such as flight number, company, date etc... at the national aeronautical service of the country involved, in your case Germany
3. You will get your money in two weeks time
Airlines can foolish individuals but not goverment services wich are handling these issues strictly.
Yes. That is the correct approach :)
Absolutely. Every EEC country has national aeronatical service. What are the chances between an individual vs the airline or goverment vs the airline ?
So simple
Airline can delay as much as they want but they can not foolish goverment services.
I can never fault eurowings, they took me from dus-bkk for €150!
We are a group of 5 people facing the same issue with Lufthansa. We filed a complaint a month ago over a missed flight to Addis Ababa due to delayed previous flight. A month after the claim, I received an email from an Indian customer service agent saying something like personal data should be handled directly by LH ?!? (of course, it should, that's the company which online form I filled in). My friend got:...
We are a group of 5 people facing the same issue with Lufthansa. We filed a complaint a month ago over a missed flight to Addis Ababa due to delayed previous flight. A month after the claim, I received an email from an Indian customer service agent saying something like personal data should be handled directly by LH ?!? (of course, it should, that's the company which online form I filled in). My friend got: you need to send us your personal ID with bleakened sensitive data ?!? I immediately answered that I want to get a response from their management so now I'm waiting. Lots of useful tips here, hope it doesn't come to to need them :) Good luck with your claim :)
The feeder flight was on the same flight as FRA-ADD, correct?
Correction: On the same ticket?
Why would a millionaire spend all this time and effort chasing $600
Actually it is 2*600€=1200€ = 1167 USD - and I guess that is how to become a millionaire.
What I do not understand is the general rush when it comes to EU261. To me it doesn’t/wouldn’t matter whether it takes 6 or 12 months. But yes, it should be completed within 6 months and it would be funny if EU would double the compensation in case the airline does boot respond within this timeframe
I've also had problems with claming compensation after cancelled flights with Ryanair and Wizzair.
In the case of Wizzair they cancelled my flight from LPL to Warsaw, put me on a flight 3 days earlier with a different flight number and claimed it was a time change. When I asked for a refund for a replacement flight that i booked for the same day Wizzair claimed that I was requesting a refund and said...
I've also had problems with claming compensation after cancelled flights with Ryanair and Wizzair.
In the case of Wizzair they cancelled my flight from LPL to Warsaw, put me on a flight 3 days earlier with a different flight number and claimed it was a time change. When I asked for a refund for a replacement flight that i booked for the same day Wizzair claimed that I was requesting a refund and said that I was not entitled to a refund and, next time I book a ticket on their flights I should pay extra so I can claim a Wizzair credit.
The European Commission need to stop these pratices by low cost airlines refusing to pay compensation. They know they can get away so, due to their greed, they do. No longer do I fly low cost as you get what you pay for.
I was kind of wondering the same thing, especially when he is/was a local at TPA...
@Ann
1. Because, like Maxwell Berry whose parents (allegedly) have, a net worth of $2 million is flying Frontier.
2. Being wealthy doesn't mean that person have better things to do.
Is Ben a millionaire? How do you know that? (Not that a million goes very far these days... or even two...)
Greed. Germans are also notoriously very litigious.
I recently booked an LH YVR-FRA flight, only to find out a few weeks later that it’s now a Eurowings Discover flight. After finding that out I cancelled the flight, rebooked with another carrier and still saved $ after the cancellation fee.
Makes me wonder though if they can make that kind of carrier switch without telling you or allowing cancellation without charge?
No, you were entitled to a full refund.
Had a similar issue, but once I found the email address customer.relations“at“lufthansa.com and threatened with a lawyer, I received an answer within a couple of days and the promise that will provide the full 1200€ to me and my partner. Money is not there yet….
If the AirTags ban wasn’t enough, yet another reason to never fly anything associated with LH Group.
I think the ridiculous language in the third email makes it clear it's been outsourced to a lazy call centre in india. Either that or it's a scam email
In either case, It looks like it's progressing backwards
But in any case at least when it does finally get somewhere you'll at least get back a useful payment, not like the third-world service the USA offers - giving refunds to international passengers as antiquated cheques (and even then misspelling it)
The October email looks like a phishing attempt. Are you certain of its source? I've see real phishing emails that were more professional looking than it. There's no way that I would provide my bank account information in response to this email
There are a lot of companies out there which will do the EU261 process for you costing a small share of the reimbursement. And they transfer the money quickly.
Just not worth the hassle to deal with companies with bad costumer service directly. I once claimed back taxes for not taking a flight on TAP and had my money within 1-2 weeks through flightright. Didn’t have to deal with TAP‘s aweful costumer service.
Small share. Sometimes it’s 30%. There are also many fraudulent no win no fee companies out there operating offshore. As compensation is free money it’s better to wait for the airline to respond, as opposed to refunding accommodation. And would you want one these companies taking a percentage of your additional costs ?
Small correction: Eurowings Discover will operate the Philadelphia and Canada routes as pure wet lease flights for Lufthansa with the original LH flight numbers. In case of any problems Lufthansa mainline is going to be your point of contact. This is different to the conventional 4Y flights. Lufthansa should make that clearer though.
Hi Neuron, that's interesting, but are you sure? I have 2 separate bookings from Vancouver to Germany, in November and in March, and they have replaced the flights to Eurowings Discover and have changed the flight numbers as well, now clearly LH codeshare flight numbers.
Lufthansa has been perhaps the worst offender of these types of issues. I have heard horror stories from friends and totally feel they should be boycotted at all costs.
When it comes to EU compensation in particular I have had just as bad or even worse experiences with BA and others. Seems you have to actually sue them all nowadays to get that compensation. Anyway LH absolutely does deserve a "boycot at all cost" for a lot of other issues besides EU compensation refusals.
You should also send your claim information here. https://www.lba.de/EN/AirPassengersRights/Complaint_Form/Complaint_Form_node.html
Par for the course for all LHG companies, they will try their very best to weasel out of the money the owe you by law, even bending the truth or simply making up new rules. In the end they probably succeed in making some people just give up, so please do not give up, keep at it and keep us posted.
I fully agree that involving SÖP in Germany is the way to go. I had to involve them earlier this year, when I had file an EU 261 with LH and nothing happened. Within 7 days from the moment I involved SÖP, I had the full compensation amount on my bank account.
Isn’t asking for personal details a big no no via email ? Also with so many scam emails flying around I never trust any organization that ask for personal info via email and request they provide a secured form platform. You could be scammed or risking your personal info being hacked. Be careful
Oh, it’s certainly not only Discover. I got the exact same text from Lufthansa after there were some issues (Lost baggage on inbound, damaged on return) with a First Class Flight. So even for a customer who paid for first it took them about 6-8 months to respond.
Currently waiting on another response from an Lufthansa EU261 in April 2022.
In general they pay, but it takes them months (or years).
Hi Ben,
one more remark. According to european law, the airlines has to respond within
- 4 months for clear cases
- 6 months for complex cases
- more than 6 months that are being trialed in court.
Source:
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/national-enforcement-bodies-neb_en
Thank you for all the valuable informations. Should I apply in the country of my origin, origin of the flight or country where the airline is based?
Hey Ben,
one remark: Please involve the national body of passenger rights. By law, this has to be provided and paid by the transport company and there is one body in each EU country. In Germany it is https://soep-online.de/ and they have an english website. Even though the processing time is slow, you will be amazed about their professionalism. A lawyer will be assigned to you and yxou will receive copys of the investigation....
Hey Ben,
one remark: Please involve the national body of passenger rights. By law, this has to be provided and paid by the transport company and there is one body in each EU country. In Germany it is https://soep-online.de/ and they have an english website. Even though the processing time is slow, you will be amazed about their professionalism. A lawyer will be assigned to you and yxou will receive copys of the investigation. You do not have to pay for using the national body - either way, it is paid by the transports company.
Your report will be beneficial for other OMAAT readers.
Good luck
Klaus
ya really not looking forward to the Eurowings Discover A330 taking over the Toronto LH470/471 flights from the 747-400 later this month. :( earlier this year LH paid me out the EU261 May 18th flight got paid to my Wise June 24th.
Another of hundreds of proofs why LH Group sucks. I am so glad that they kicked me out of the pilot application process some years ago. Lufthansa would have turned out to be the worst choice!
A friend recently submitted a EU261 claim to EW for a delay and diversion due Paderborn due to night flight ban in Düsseldorf. EW declined and he just fowarded his claim to flightright or one of the other agencies...
Another of hundreds of proofs why LH Group sucks. I am so glad that they kicked me out of the pilot application process some years ago. Lufthansa would have turned out to be the worst choice!
A friend recently submitted a EU261 claim to EW for a delay and diversion due Paderborn due to night flight ban in Düsseldorf. EW declined and he just fowarded his claim to flightright or one of the other agencies Even those agencies should be well-known at LH, they declined again and now it goes to court. So around 30% commission might be worth it when you can save the hassle with LH/EW.
Carsten Spohr should be forced to read every post and comment on this blog regarding Lufthansa. And no, it is not shaming giving all criticism is real.
Hello Felix,
why did he not involve Schlichtungsstelle Öffentlicher Personennahverkehr (https://soep-online.de/), the National Enforcement Body of passenger rights? It is free of charge and if the case is denied, he could have still involved an agency afterwards.
Hi Klaus,
I guess he does not know SOEP and values simplicity. I had a case with SOEP. Besides that it took ages until they finally worked on my case, the initial form was pretty annoying to fill out for complex cases. Maybe it is different when you have a standard EU261 delay where the airline cannot argument with extraordinary circumstances.
My dispute was with LATAM. In March 21, hey cancelled my 150 Euro...
Hi Klaus,
I guess he does not know SOEP and values simplicity. I had a case with SOEP. Besides that it took ages until they finally worked on my case, the initial form was pretty annoying to fill out for complex cases. Maybe it is different when you have a standard EU261 delay where the airline cannot argument with extraordinary circumstances.
My dispute was with LATAM. In March 21, hey cancelled my 150 Euro bargain ticket from MAD-FRA-LUX-DUS on LATAM C, LH C and Hahn Air (very close to a private jet).
Hi Felix,
Well…30% of 1200€ is 360€. Why give that away if you have a national body of lawyers that work for free (in the sense that Lufthansa has to pay them either way)?
But yes, the SÖP form is comprehensive and you have to upload the original booking and a proof of the change (e.g. new boarding passes or cancellation note).
If you want/need the compensation quickly and do not care about the 30% fee, then a
Private company is the way to go
@Klaus
Generally, I share your point of view and I don‘t like to promote these claim agencies.
I would always try it on my own first. Regarding my friend, I did not specify the amount. It was only an intra-German flight, so he is only entitled to 250€. So 30% of that is not so much in absolute numbers.
Hi Ben,
the first message you received is standard Lufthansa group text. So as you correctly stated its just an acknowledgment and you get your case number. Ah, and the second mail just proves that its Lufthansa Group customer relations. You cold have as well sent your mail to [email protected] .
Actually, there is a timeline; You can complain about them at the Luftfahrt Bundesamt after 6 weeks if you have not received the compensation. In my experience, airlines react pretty fast once you let them know that you are about to complain about them.
Yes, that you can also do. But the LBA knows about the situation. It`s not like they will ground Lufthansa. It`s like sending a complaint to the DOT.
My recommendation is the national enforcement body (NEB) for public transport: soep-online.de.
Here is an overview of all european NEB
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/national-enforcement-bodies-neb_en
(off-topic Side note: Lufthansa has increased the fares for changing flights significantly...)
Yes, that you can also do. But the LBA knows about the situation. It`s not like they will ground Lufthansa. It`s like sending a complaint to the DOT.
My recommendation is the national enforcement body (NEB) for public transport: soep-online.de.
Here is an overview of all european NEB
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/national-enforcement-bodies-neb_en
(off-topic Side note: Lufthansa has increased the fares for changing flights significantly...)
@Klaus
“Lufthansa has increased the fares for changing flights significantly...”
I’m having difficulty re-booking a full fare F ticket on LH. I just want to change by one day and I'm being told nothing is available; TONS of space is available.
I think my LH fanboy days are over.
That much obfuscation is practically criminal. I've never had to file an EU261, but I can't even wrap my head around how the Lufthansa group gets away with unconscionable crap like this. /outrage
Side question: Do you and/or Ford travel with AirTags when you check luggage? I can't imagine what it would be like to deal with them re: loss of a bag.
I had a claim for EU261 from BA on a long haul flight so was entitled to the full amount. To give BA their due, the full amount was paid to my US account within 4 days of my request, and 3 days of their acknowledgement. I was able to put the compensation to good use and upgraded my AY flight back to LAX at no out of pocket cost!
Why would a millionaire spend all this time and effort chasing $600?
Well, it's not as if Ben has a proper job, is it?
You will eventually receive a limited edition Eurowings holiday ornament I am thinking! Good luck.