ArcaMax

Emily Weir's flights from New York to Delhi, India, are delayed and rerouted. She wants compensation for the trouble, but Lufthansa won't pay her a dime. What's going on?

Q: I am writing on behalf of myself and my travel companion about our recent highly unsatisfactory experience with Lufthansa's flight cancellation and rescheduling policies. Lufthansa canceled, rebooked, then canceled and delayed our flights on both ends of our vacation.

Our outbound flight from New York to Delhi was delayed, and we missed our connecting flight to India. Lufthansa eventually rebooked us on another airline but only offered us a $15 meal voucher, which wasn't even enough to buy a meal in New York. We had a delay of almost 24 hours.

On our return flight, Lufthansa switched planes and didn't have room for us. Instead, they rebooked us on a flight through Frankfurt, Germany, and we experienced a 6-hour delay.

According to Lufthansa's site, we are entitled to compensation if we arrive at our final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours. It also promises compensation if we're denied boarding, which we were on our return flight. At the bare minimum, Lufthansa should refund the $322 in seat assignment fees we paid.

We could have flown much more cheaply on another airline but chose Lufthansa because of its reputation. Can you help? -- Emily Weir, Florence, Massachusetts

A: Maybe you should have taken another airline because Lufthansa clearly didn't live up to its reputation on your flights to and from Delhi.

Part of the problem is that it's not immediately clear which airline consumer protections apply to your flight. It's true that Lufthansa says it will compensate you for denied boarding and delays, but these are European Union rules that only apply to tickets where the origination or destination is within the EU.

On your flight from New York to Delhi, United States consumer protection laws apply. These say that if the airline can get you to your final destination, and you accept the rebooked flight, it owes you nothing more.

However, your seats ... well, that's another story. You paid for a reserved seat on your flight and didn't get it. You're right; at the bare minimum, Lufthansa owes you a refund for these.

Your case falls into a gray area when it comes to customer service. Clearly, both of your flights didn't go as you had hoped or as Lufthansa had intended. When this happens, your best bet is to negotiate a goodwill gesture then and there in real time.

Ask for a hotel voucher, an extra meal voucher, frequent flier points, or anything a representative is allowed to offer at the time. After your flights end, getting anything will be difficult -- if not impossible.

You can also reach out to one of the Lufthansa executives whose names I publish on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A short, polite email to one of them might have gotten you the compensation you deserve.

I contacted Lufthansa on your behalf. Without comment, the airline refunded you $61 -- a disappointing conclusion to your case.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2025 Christopher Elliott

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