QUALIFY IT
Does it qualify?
Same Article 5(1)(c) test: under 7 days’ notice pays unless the re-route left within an hour and landed under two hours late; 7 to 13 days widens to two and four hours; 14 days or more exempts compensation entirely.
Lufthansa is an EU carrier, so both directions are covered — EU departures on any airline, and arrivals into the EU on Lufthansa itself.
THE MONEY
What is it worth?
€250
Under 1,500 km
€400
1,500–3,500 km
€600
Over 3,500 km
Per passenger, measured on the journey’s great-circle distance.
Under 1,500 km €250 · 1,500–3,500 km €400 · over 3,500 km €600. The Frankfurt and Munich long-hauls are the €600 claims.
THE PUSHBACK
What Lufthansa will say
Lufthansa documents thoroughly, which cuts both ways: ask for the operational reason in writing and it often undercuts the defence being asserted.
On strike days, be precise. Lufthansa’s own-staff strikes are generally treated as within the airline’s control; ATC and airport-staff strikes usually are not.
THE EDGE
What’s specific to Lufthansa
Germany’s three-year clock runs from the end of the year of the flight, not the flight date — the shortest practical deadline among the big carriers, and the reason Lufthansa bookings get retro-checked before anyone else’s.
Lufthansa participates in söp, Germany’s free conciliation scheme, which opens once the airline refuses or stalls and costs your client nothing.
Cancellations cluster on the Frankfurt and Munich feeder banks, where one cancelled short leg routinely strands a long-haul connection.
THE PLAY
How do you file it?
File through Lufthansa’s feedback and compensation web form, citing EC261 Article 5 and Article 7 with the distance band.
Ask explicitly for the operational reason for the cancellation.
If refused or stalled, open a söp case — free, and it moves airlines that ignore letters.
Or forward the booking confirmation to MyAirAdvocate and this claim is prepared for you — flights watched, the cancellation detected, evidence assembled, deadlines tracked.
See how it works →AGENTS ASK
Questions agents ask
When exactly does the German deadline expire?
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Three years from the end of the calendar year of the flight. A flight on 3 March 2024 is claimable until 31 December 2027.
Does a refund cancel the compensation?
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No — the two are separate rights.
Eurowings or Discover operated the flight — who owes?
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The operating carrier. Address the claim to the airline whose crew flew it, not the code on the ticket.
A strike caused the cancellation — is it still claimable?
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Often yes. Airline-staff strikes are generally within the airline’s control; external strikes may not be.
Can the agency file?
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Yes, with written client authorization, and söp accepts agency-submitted cases too.
General information for travel professionals, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims; it does not represent passengers and takes no percentage of any compensation.