FLIGHT PROBLEMS · LUFTHANSA
Lufthansa delay compensation: EUR 250, 400 or 600, the strike question, and how to claim free
If a Lufthansa flight gets you to your final destination more than 3 hours late for a reason within Lufthansa's control, EU Regulation 261/2004 pays EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 per person, depending on distance. That includes Lufthansa flights from the US into Germany. A strike by Lufthansa's own pilots or cabin crew normally still counts, even though Lufthansa's own page lists strikes as an exception. You can claim free on Lufthansa's online form. Checked against Lufthansa's and the EU's own pages on October 30, 2026.
Ad / affiliate disclosure: this page has one AirHelp link (near the end); I may earn a commission if you use it, at no extra cost to you. Claiming directly from Lufthansa is free and is explained first. PracticalPivot is not affiliated with Lufthansa. Prepared with AI assistance and checked against Lufthansa's, the EU's and Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr's own pages on October 30, 2026.
The 30-second answer
Does it qualify? Arrival at your final destination more than 3 hours late, on a Lufthansa-operated flight leaving the EU, or flying into the EU on Lufthansa, for a cause within Lufthansa's control (technical faults, crew shortages, its own staff's strikes). Weather, air traffic control and airport staff strikes usually do not qualify.
How much? EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 per passenger. Not linked to the fare.
How to claim: Lufthansa's compensation and reimbursement form; upload meal, hotel and taxi receipts in the same form. No answer in 2 months, or a rejection you disagree with: Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr, the German conciliation body, free for consumers.
How much Lufthansa owes you
| Flight distance (example) | Arrival delay at final destination | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (Frankfurt to London, Paris, Vienna; Munich to Rome) | More than 3 hours | EUR 250 |
| Inside the EU over 1,500 km (Frankfurt to Lisbon, Athens, Helsinki) | More than 3 hours | EUR 400 |
| Outside the EU, 1,500 to 3,500 km (Frankfurt to Cairo, Tel Aviv, Istanbul) | More than 3 hours | EUR 400 |
| Over 3,500 km (Frankfurt or Munich to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo) | More than 3 hours | EUR 600 |
Amounts from Lufthansa's passenger-rights page and the EU's Your Europe page. Distance is the great-circle distance between the first and last airport on your booking, not the connection point. Lufthansa's page says the amount can be halved (EUR 125, 200 or 300) when you were re-routed and arrived no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late depending on distance. Lufthansa pays by bank transfer or cheque; a voucher only with your consent.
Which Lufthansa trips are covered
| Your trip | Covered? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt or Munich to anywhere, on Lufthansa | Yes | Departing the EU |
| US to Frankfurt or Munich, operated by Lufthansa | Yes | EU airline flying into the EU (Lufthansa's own scope text) |
| US to Frankfurt to Rome on one booking, missed the connection | Yes, on the whole trip | Judged on arrival at the final destination; distance is US to Rome (EUR 600) |
| Lufthansa flight number, operated by United from the US | No | The operating airline counts, and United is not an EU airline (see our United guide) |
| Two separate bookings, missed the second flight | Only the late flight on its own | No protection for the self-made connection |
Strikes: where Lufthansa's page and the EU Court differ
Lufthansa's passenger-rights page names "strikes" among the extraordinary circumstances that cancel compensation for delays, and "strikes by third parties" for cancellations. The difference matters. In Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20, March 23, 2021), the EU Court of Justice ruled that a strike by an airline's own staff, called by their union over pay or conditions, is not an extraordinary circumstance: the airline still pays. The new EU rules (applying from October 2027) say the same thing, except for strikes over demands that only public authorities can meet.
| Who went on strike | Compensation? |
|---|---|
| Lufthansa pilots, cabin crew or ground staff employed by Lufthansa | Usually yes |
| Airport security, airport operator staff, air traffic control | Usually no (care, rebooking and refunds still apply) |
| Knock-on delay the next day from an earlier own-staff strike | Ask for the cause in writing; often yes |
What Lufthansa must give you at the airport (any cause, even weather)
Care is owed even when compensation is not. Lufthansa's page sets the start by distance: 2+ hours late departing on flights up to 1,500 km, 3+ hours for 1,500 to 3,500 km and EU flights over 1,500 km, 4+ hours for longer flights.
- Meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait.
- Hotel and transport to it if you are stuck overnight (see flight delayed overnight).
- Two phone calls or emails.
- Refund instead if the delay is 5+ hours: within 7 days, plus a flight back to your first departure point if the trip no longer makes sense.
Paid for any of this yourself? Lufthansa's form says you can claim back food, hotel, transfers and communication costs if Lufthansa did not provide them. Upload itemized receipts (PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 3.7 MB each).
How to claim, step by step
- Ask for the reason in writing (app, email or the transfer desk). The reason decides compensation.
- Screenshot your actual arrival time at the final destination.
- File Lufthansa's compensation form: choose the disruption (delay, cancellation, diversion, missed connection, denied boarding, downgrade), enter up to 3 flights and up to 6 passengers on the same booking. Claiming for someone outside your household needs Lufthansa's signed authorization form.
- Upload receipts in the same form. Do not send card numbers (Lufthansa asks you not to).
- Expect a wait. On October 30, 2026 the form showed a notice of longer processing times "due to increased requests" and asked passengers not to send follow-ups.
- No reply within 2 months, or a rejection you disagree with? File with Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr, Berlin (the body Lufthansa names; private trips only; free for consumers). Court is the last step; German law gives 3 years from the end of the year of the flight (more in our claim time limits guide).
Want a ready-made letter? Use our free EU261 claim letter.
Checklist
- Lufthansa operated the flight (check the boarding pass, not just the LH flight number)
- Final arrival more than 3 hours late (screenshot)
- Delay reason in writing; own-staff strike or technical fault noted
- Distance band checked: up to 1,500 km, EU over 1,500 km or 1,500 to 3,500 km, over 3,500 km
- Receipts for meals, hotel and taxis kept
- Form filed; date noted; 2-month clock for Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr started
US tickets: the DOT refund rules too
Lufthansa's page notes that on a ticket bought for travel to or from the US, the US Department of Transportation refund rules may also apply. They give you a cash refund for a cancellation or a significant change you do not accept, but no delay compensation; EU261 is where the EUR 600 comes from. Our cancelled flight refund guide explains both.
Prefer someone else to handle it?
Claiming directly costs nothing and Lufthansa's form takes a few minutes. If Lufthansa rejects an own-staff strike or technical-fault claim, or stops answering, and you would rather not go to the conciliation body or court yourself, a claims service is the paid alternative:
Check a Lufthansa delay with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. AirHelp checks eligibility for free and takes a share of the compensation only if it wins. It cannot get money for weather or air traffic control delays.
What changes in October 2027
The EU passenger-rights reform, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, was published in the Official Journal on October 2, 2026 and applies from October 23, 2027. Some websites still say the delay threshold will rise to 4 or 6 hours; the final text keeps "a delay at arrival exceeding three hours" and the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts. Flights before October 23, 2027 stay under Regulation 261/2004.
Common questions
How much compensation does Lufthansa pay for a delay?
If a Lufthansa flight gets you to your final destination more than 3 hours late for a reason within Lufthansa's control, EU Regulation 261/2004 pays EUR 250 per person for flights up to 1,500 km, EUR 400 for flights inside the EU over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and EUR 600 for flights over 3,500 km. The ticket price does not change the amount.
Does Lufthansa pay compensation on flights from the US to Germany?
Yes, it can. Lufthansa's own passenger-rights page says the rules cover flights leaving the EU and flights from a non-EU country to the EU on an EU airline. Lufthansa is an EU airline, so a Chicago to Frankfurt flight operated by Lufthansa that lands more than 3 hours late for a reason within its control qualifies. A Lufthansa flight number operated by United does not.
Is a Lufthansa pilot or cabin crew strike an extraordinary circumstance?
Usually not. Lufthansa's page lists strikes among extraordinary circumstances, but the EU Court of Justice ruled in 2021 (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20) that a strike by an airline's own staff called by their union is not extraordinary. Strikes by airport, security or air traffic control staff usually are.
How long do I have to claim compensation from Lufthansa?
Lufthansa is a German airline, and German courts apply the general 3-year limit, counted from the end of the year in which the flight took place (German Civil Code, sections 195 and 199). A delay on March 10, 2026 can be claimed until December 31, 2029. If you sue in another country, that country's limit applies.
Are the EU delay compensation rules changing?
Yes, but not yet. The reform, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, was published on October 2, 2026 and applies from October 23, 2027. It keeps the 3-hour threshold and the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts. Until then Regulation 261/2004 applies unchanged.
How we checked this
On October 30, 2026 we read Lufthansa's compensation and reimbursement form page and its passenger rights page (scope, care thresholds, amounts, strikes wording, conciliation body, US DOT note), the EU's Your Europe air passenger rights page, Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr, and the text of Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on EUR-Lex (application date, thresholds, strike rule). The strike ruling is CJEU case C-28/20 of March 23, 2021. This is general information, not legal advice.