A post from Lufthansa’s official account on social media platform X is going viral, and people are divided. Some find the post to be highly unprofessional, while some find it to be oddly refreshing (yet still highly unprofessional). 😉
Lufthansa tells customer to stop messaging, lol
An X user tagged Lufthansa’s official account, and wrote the following:
Why are you ignoring my messages and emails @lufthansa ? You approved our payment months ago, yet you dodge responsibility and act unlawfully! Shame on you! Answer your emails and process Case C-999983-G1X8 IMMEDIATELY!
Lufthansa responded almost immediately, essentially telling the customer the response isn’t going to “magically” change, and that he should stop asking on different platforms:
We’ve already responded to you numerous times via DM on different social media platforms. The response isn’t going to magically change just because you’re asking the same question on X now. /Flo
This post ended up going viral. It currently has 1.2 million views, but that number keeps increasing. A little over 20 hours later, the airline apologized in a follow-up post, writing the following:
We sincerely apologize for our last reply to you – this is not the way we treat our passengers. We understand your frustration in this matter and are doing everything we can to speed up the process. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
People are divided on Lufthansa’s social media response
I think we can all agree that Lufthansa’s response to a customer on X was unprofessional. Admittedly we don’t know the full story here. The traveler seemingly claims that some sort of compensation was approved, but hasn’t been paid. I don’t know if that’s true or not, though I’d sure love to know the backstory.
I would imagine that anyone who has worked in frontline customer service has probably wanted to respond to a customer in this way at one point or another (or in some cases, maybe constantly). And I’ll also say that the internet adds a level of anonymity that makes so many customers complete jerks.
You know, you’ll see an airline posting about a new route or lounge on social media, and then there are dozens of responses from people all basically just saying “f*** you, you s*** airline, you lost my bags, I’m never flying you again.” I don’t know how the people working the social media accounts have the patience to be apologetic and deal with customers, when they receive such a lack of respect.
Also, to Lufthansa’s credit, at least it seems the airline still has humans responding to customer service complaints, rather than AI (unless they’ve programmed their AI to be that sassy). There’s something to be said for that!
I see some people suggesting that Lufthansa must’ve outsourced customer service, and that this is the reason for this kind of a response. If anything, this response strikes me as being a completely blunt German. Germans don’t really beat around the bush with sharing how they feel, and that’s very much the vibe here.
I remember a Lufthansa flight I took earlier this year, where someone came up to first class during boarding and was obviously trying to take pictures of seats in a way where they tried to make it look like they were sitting in them.
The flight attendant proceeded to come up to the guy and said “what do you think you are doing?” He responded by making up some excuse about how he just wanted to see the seat, and she responded with “no, I know what you are doing, you are trying to fake that you are flying in first class for social media.” Lol, perhaps it was a bit aggressive, but she certainly shut him up, and she definitely clocked him on that one.
Bottom line
Lufthansa is getting quite a bit of criticism after a customer demanded immediate help with a compensation issue. A representative for the airline responded by telling the customers that they’ve responded to him numerous times on different social media platforms, and that the response wouldn’t magically change because he’s asking on X.
Well, that caught the attention of a lot of people, and a little under a day later, the airline apologized. So I guess maybe asking on X does magically change the response? 😉
What do you make of Lufthansa’s response to a customer on X?
The best thing Lufthansa has done in the past 10 years is the new 100 year livery. Other than that they have been striking out in every which way. This is not a good look.
It's impossible to comment without knowing the complete backstory, but in this case my sympathies lie with the customer.
Lufthansa are notoriously slow to issue refunds. I made a booking using my miles for a ticket back in April. It was a flexible ticket, meaning both the miles and the taxes paid were refundable (with a fee). I paid the fee when I cancelled on June 10, and got the miles back in my...
It's impossible to comment without knowing the complete backstory, but in this case my sympathies lie with the customer.
Lufthansa are notoriously slow to issue refunds. I made a booking using my miles for a ticket back in April. It was a flexible ticket, meaning both the miles and the taxes paid were refundable (with a fee). I paid the fee when I cancelled on June 10, and got the miles back in my account on July 31. However the taxes paid have still not been refunded.
I'm a lifetime Senator, and in spite of following through on the phone with lh Senator service 4 times as well as my local LH partnerplusbenefit account manager, the funds still haven't been credited.
Lufthansa keep saying that the credit will be issued, it's in the process, and it needs to be signed off and it will happen eventually. However I, for one, don't appreciate airlines sitting on my hard-earned cash for months on end with no timeline or commitment as to when it will be returned.
That's the difference between LH and SQ - cancelled an SQ booking on Monday this week, and got my refund yesterday.
You're a lifetime senator.
You tolerated their trash for so long, they take you for granted and expect to treat you like trash.
You should have learnt that by now.
Even thesedays HON doesn't matter anymore.
LH doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. One time they approved a payment for me only to renege on it later, and I had to take it to the SÔP.
They delay, deflect, change their story. Anything to prevent paying out.
@Watson
I assume you are speaking for yourself as I have had a great response from LH in the midst of their rolling strikes.
I would also point out that LH does follow EU 261 rules They accepted my claim for compensation within two weeks. Not one question. My wife and I each received €900 for flight delay, meal compensation(good schnitzel and beer) as well a pricy hotel room at FRA airport.
What is most...
@Watson
I assume you are speaking for yourself as I have had a great response from LH in the midst of their rolling strikes.
I would also point out that LH does follow EU 261 rules They accepted my claim for compensation within two weeks. Not one question. My wife and I each received €900 for flight delay, meal compensation(good schnitzel and beer) as well a pricy hotel room at FRA airport.
What is most interesting is that many of the complainers on this blog live in the States. And we can't go a single day without someone complaining about poor treatment from DL, UA and the all time favorite AA.
A tip for all you chronic whiners; tell them you want EU 261.
@alanz lol 261 is the first thing I say. I've had to do this with LH twice.
First time they straight up denied that I got downgraded. (They claimed that undoing a confirmed upgrade was not a downgrade.) SÖP awarded me the full amount - $2300.
Second time they blamed weather for a cancellation despite the fact that they boarded us after the weather had passed and had a departure slot. SÖP split...
@alanz lol 261 is the first thing I say. I've had to do this with LH twice.
First time they straight up denied that I got downgraded. (They claimed that undoing a confirmed upgrade was not a downgrade.) SÖP awarded me the full amount - $2300.
Second time they blamed weather for a cancellation despite the fact that they boarded us after the weather had passed and had a departure slot. SÖP split the difference on that one; I was reimbursed only for costs incurred but didn't get the extra 250€.
On the contrary, I've had three 261 claims with UA which they've processed immediately and without complaint.
LH sucks. Sorry dude.
Lufthansa in an anti-semitic airline so it makes sense that they would stay true to their 1940s German roots and also behave with disdain for their non-white customers! It's interesting that United continues to partner so closely with an airline that is only safe for white people.
Please delete this nonsense
Every airline that isn't El Al is antisemitic, you just don't realize it.
Their economy class is already like Ryanair (well, more expensive) so it makes sense they would also copy Ryanair's snarky social media style.
Either way not much respect for their customers.
It would help to know what it is the customer is even after. The reality is that consumers can be terrorists by using social media to pressure something out of a company. The reality is also that companies can be slow footed and difficult to deal with. Two things can be true at once and it's impossible to make judgements on something when you don't know the entire story.
In my experience, Lufthansa can treat its customers with remarkable disregard.
I have faced excuse after excuse and delay after delay on genuinely serious matters. In one case, the airline's negligence caused me a physical injury, yet getting a straight answer, let alone accountability, has been an exhausting struggle.
The customer-facing staff (including whoever wrote that response) seem to have fully bought into the old LH slogan, "There's no better way to fly",...
In my experience, Lufthansa can treat its customers with remarkable disregard.
I have faced excuse after excuse and delay after delay on genuinely serious matters. In one case, the airline's negligence caused me a physical injury, yet getting a straight answer, let alone accountability, has been an exhausting struggle.
The customer-facing staff (including whoever wrote that response) seem to have fully bought into the old LH slogan, "There's no better way to fly", while the experience behind it tells a very different story. When things go wrong, a so-called "premium airline" should respond with urgency and care.
At least they aren’t banning the Jews like they did during Covid. They took a whole huge family of them off an international flight because one would not wear ze mask.
Ze rules apply to everyone. Was the rest of the party argumentative? It's a bit of a stretch bringing their Jewishness into it, surely.
PeteAU, this is a situation where Luftkafka was 100% in the wrong. In May of 2022, a few Jewish passengers were not wearing masks and congregating in the aisles. Luftkafka then booted every person who looked Jewish off the plane, and video of a member of staff stated that all Jews on the flight were paying for the actions of a few. Quoth the BBC:
"The Department of Transportation said Lufthansa discriminated against the passengers,...
PeteAU, this is a situation where Luftkafka was 100% in the wrong. In May of 2022, a few Jewish passengers were not wearing masks and congregating in the aisles. Luftkafka then booted every person who looked Jewish off the plane, and video of a member of staff stated that all Jews on the flight were paying for the actions of a few. Quoth the BBC:
"The Department of Transportation said Lufthansa discriminated against the passengers, treating them "as if they were all a single group", though many were not traveling together and did not know one another."
First Luftkafka apologized for it, then when they were about to pay for it, they denied it again and called it miscommunication. Clearly Luftkafka has problems with both discrimination and credibility.
Quick followup, realized my wording was imprecise. They ended up being denied boarding on a connecting flight, and were not kicked off a flight they were already on. Still wrong of Luftkafka, just clarifying.
Oh noes All Due Hank! You mixed up your troll handles!
Nothing wrong with it. The rules were for all. Do you know how this group behaved? Police had to come to the gate according to the articles I read.
Collective punishment is prohibited by Geneva Convention but apparently Lufthansa customers should not expect same level of protection as soldiers in active war zones.
Because military combatants were gaslighted and brainwahed into serving a personal political agenda using war as an excuse.
Lh customers fly with their own free will.
At last, someone is saying it the way it is. Cudos to the Lufthansa rep.
I do criticize Lufthansa on a regular basis, but compensation, rebooking or paying for a hotel is one of the strongest point of the airline. The tweet was appropriate, they approved his payment, so no need to play all social media canals.
The tweet was not appropriate. Luftkafka has a well earned reputation for treating their customers with contempt. The customer has every reason to hit them up on all channels knowing that.
Compensation is a strong point of Lufthansa? You must be joking. Go read the relevant thread on Flyertalk, you'll find hundreds of cases where Lufty denied valid claims hoping they will tire customer to not chase the claim. They're doing this on a routine basis.
I’m not surprised. Lufthansa is the worst customer relations I’ve ever dealt with. After admitting both Allegris issues I experienced during my flight, they went quiet for months. First time for me that I had to involve a lawyer that is now taking it to court for resolution.
Concur, Luftkafka is a nightmare airline.
Taking it to a lawyer was a smart move. No matter the lawyer's personal feelings, they are paid to argue for their client, but not to antagonize everyone present, judge included.
The annonimity afforded bloggers here enables, maybe empowers them to say things they would never say face to face.
Lufthansa's original response got me actually laughing out loud. That was awesome. The customer shouldn't act like a petulent child by calling out the airline at all hours of the day across every social media platform - especially if LH has already responded.
LH's follow-up apology, though, is weak sauce. Nothing like neutering yourself to avoid outrage, only to end up sounding far dumber than before.
Luftkafka's original response was completely inappropriate for an airline that has such an extensive history of treating customers so poorly. Their follow-up apology was shocking as they usually only apologize when threatened with a lawsuit as well as bad publicity.
Is it possible this is a viral marketing thing? I know that companies will sometimes work with an agency to try something edgy.
"If anything, this response strikes me as being a completely blunt German"
100%.
Social Media as tool to put someone under pressure.
Since you are analyzing the habits of Germany:
“Wie man in den Wald ruft, so schallt es heraus!“
Frankly: You get back what you put out.
Or word by word: the way you are shouting into the wood, it will sounds back.
With words like: “Hello”, “Please”, “Thank you”, it is much easier to experience soon solutions.
I like LH’s reaction. I am glad to...
Social Media as tool to put someone under pressure.
Since you are analyzing the habits of Germany:
“Wie man in den Wald ruft, so schallt es heraus!“
Frankly: You get back what you put out.
Or word by word: the way you are shouting into the wood, it will sounds back.
With words like: “Hello”, “Please”, “Thank you”, it is much easier to experience soon solutions.
I like LH’s reaction. I am glad to know that there is a human behind the answers. A human must be treated like a human by a human.
Then Luftkafka should try treating their customers like humans first. Humans with dignity.
If you tend to think that Lufthansa is the most laughable organization in existence that's afloat only because it's not actually competing and is by all accounts too big to fail - stop and remember that it's impressive that a non-oil-rich islamic country is able to maintain such a big airline to begin with. more power to them, as far as i'm concerned. Far superior to say Egyptair or Air Algerie or Uganda Airlines, god forbid.
I have zero issues with LH's response.
The customer is not always right.
Except when it comes to Luftkafka. Customers should ALWAYS receive the initial benefit of the doubt when it comes to Carsten's petty little corporate fiefdom.
Unrelated to Lufthansa but related to Twitter: does Delta no longer monitor or respond to DM's? I had found it was a really great way to get my questions answered quickly, or is there a more premium communication method I should just try?
I spent far too much time in positions where I had to deal with customer complaints. One thing I learned is that the customer is never right. Customers need to be slapped repeatedly in the face since more than 90% of their interactions with companies are self-serving (i.e. they want free stuff) or unjustified. This person who was complaining needed to get slapped. Good work, Opa Lufty, and no need to apologize.
I'm not really sure how I would/should respond to such a moronic statement. Forty years as a sales executive, in my position, I would have sat down with the CEO and done my hardest to get a loose Cannon like you fired for putting the reputation of our company in jeopardy. You should never be in a position to even speak to a customer. Your generalizations are idiotic.
As a point of reference, losing patience...
I'm not really sure how I would/should respond to such a moronic statement. Forty years as a sales executive, in my position, I would have sat down with the CEO and done my hardest to get a loose Cannon like you fired for putting the reputation of our company in jeopardy. You should never be in a position to even speak to a customer. Your generalizations are idiotic.
As a point of reference, losing patience with a customer may sooth a fragile ego, but is guaranteed to lose a customer. There are much better, and less confrontational ways to respond to that customer.
Sales are the enemy of Quality (35 plus years in food safety and quality here), therefore ignoring you is the best option. Other than to say that I refuse to engage in a sword fight with someone who has a toothpick.
Let me guess. You no longer work in that position because they laid you off, at least from that role.
Condolence to your company for having someone like you in the frontline of customer relations.
Wrong. I moved back into food safety auditing more than ten years ago when I achieved my qualifications for becoming an auditor. I get to lecture people on what they're doing wrong and they have to take it. One of the reasons I moved back into auditing was because I had to deal with petty, nagging customer complaints. I got out of it at my first chance. So shut up, Republitard.
ORD_Is_My_Second_Home - completely wrong, and a strong sign that you're a good candidate to work in customer service at Luftkafka.
They got SAS-sy, too? Lufthansa Group just keeps growing...
They got SAS-sy, too? Lufthansa Group just keeps growing...
"this is not the way we treat our customers"
This is how Luftkafka treats their customers, and worse. It's as if Stanley Milgram himself designed an airline as one of his experiments.
For whatever reason tweets to @American Air end up in my tweeter feed. Some of the people are real winners. Screaming and dropping F bombs because the plane hasn't taken off even though ATC has weather holds. I'd get sassy, or worst, with some of my responses if I was on that Twitter team.
Might help if airlines properly kept their passengers informed. Communicating effectively, setting clear expectations, operating in a transparent manner, all go a long way. (Or not, just 'dunk' on your customers or fellow passengers... /s)
By keeping their customers informed, as does AA when you go to a gate and your plane is not there. And only passengers are at the gate. So, I guess communications is only a German problem.
Maybe that's why you are not on that Twitter team,
Online snark only works for Ryanair!
In all seriousness, the apology sounds more like damage control from the previous tweet, than acknowledging the sentiment was wrong.
You wanted a human response, you got a human response. All the smoke.
A human response does not need to be rude or dismissive.
Nor does a rude response from a customer be gIven to an airline''s representative.
I genuinely think that this was the perfect response. And yes, i'm usually very critical of my home airline.
This character already had contact with LH and at times processing does take time. Why bring it up again on social media?
There was sth similar recently where someone was complaining about not getting to use "priority lane" on what seemed to be on arriving flight at MUC. I was fuming. "I was fumming so much i was fumigating!" Hi #BBUK.
If by perfect, you mean a perfect example of the perfidious manner with which Luftkafka has generally treated customers, then yes.
Getting sassy and unprofessional with customers on social media? Isn’t that Ryanair’s schtick?
Wendy's is the GOAT of sassy responses on X.
Truly, I don’t envy the social media folks at airlines. Sifting through endless complaints about bags, compensation, and scams? That must wear on you. In this case, the reply made sense, given all the noise they deal with daily. Some people keep posting the same things for weeks.
By no means Karen-style behaviors of complaining customers are acceptable, but quite a majority of them wouldn't have happened if the airline did the job properly at first place.
Let alone the simple fact that two wrongs don't "magically" make a right.
I get the point, but many of these posts aren’t even from people who have actually travelled with the airline. Even inventing case IDs. There are people constantly complaining about things they haven’t experienced themselves. I’ve seen one guy repeatedly claiming that Lufthansa has serious maintenance issues, is dangerous to fly with, is broke and doesn’t pay its bills, while also warning everyone not to fly with them - and at the same time, he’s...
I get the point, but many of these posts aren’t even from people who have actually travelled with the airline. Even inventing case IDs. There are people constantly complaining about things they haven’t experienced themselves. I’ve seen one guy repeatedly claiming that Lufthansa has serious maintenance issues, is dangerous to fly with, is broke and doesn’t pay its bills, while also warning everyone not to fly with them - and at the same time, he’s waiting for compensation himself. When the social media team has to deal with this kind of thing every single day, I can understand why they sometimes respond more directly.
What a novel idea. If a Twitter feed is even the best way to deal with unresolved issue. Trying to get satisfaction with a large audience watching, is not likely to l ead to positive results.
And maybe LH should take good hard look at how they resolve issues.
"this is not the way we treat our passengers" - LOL, it very much is, this is straight out of their regular playbook. No other airline hates its customers so openly. Doesn't matter if it's CS or Carsten himself. It just happened to explode this time.
And no, that response would in no way be accepted in a CS role in Germany. Just because people are a bit more straightforward in the personal life doesn't mean this is somewhat acceptable towards customers.
The only way to fight entitlement is with truth. Kudos to the Rep
If that is the case, then someone ought to fight the entitled Luftkafka employee with truth. No kudos to the rep, and JustinB, no kudos for you.