Lufthansa

My wife and I were taking dreadful trip to deal with my wife late father estate and participate in celebration of his life. Trip booked with Air Canada went without the hitch till we got to Munich. Deplaning flight from Montreal we leisurely walked to the new gate, and having time to spare before boarding flight LH1630 we both decided to use washrooms. When it was our time to board, we were denied the entrance to airplane and asked to stand to the side. We both had valid boarding passes printed in Winnipeg and we obliged. When all the passengers boarded the plane and counter crew started closing the gate we started to demand explanations. We were told that we were not on passenger list - that was all we got. When I told the clerk that this explanation is not sufficient enough for somebody who have valid ticket - we were referred to manager who graciously arrived half an hour after the plane left and told us that we have to go to Lufthansa customer service, and to take my beef with them.

We went back to the customer service to find ourselves at the end of the line of about 150 people!!! People start talking and as it turned out we were not the only one who's tickets were sold as the airline "thought" that we will not make it because our plane from Montreal left 30 minutes later than planned - not taking under consideration that layover was a little over 1.5 hours...

At this point I would like to recognize organization called Star Alliance as additional burden to passengers and establishment which hinders all travelers for the sole benefits of the airlines. My flight was booked with Air Canada straight on Air Canada site, but because they do not flight all the routes required to get me from Winnipeg to Wroclaw they sub the one which they do not operate. To muddy the waters more and enable airlines to blame and point fingers in different directions, the subs can sub their flights too.... So as we learned 2.5 hours later at the window and during discussion with Lufthansa Customer Service representative - our Air Canada flight from Montreal to Munich (LH4283) was subbed to Lufthansa, who in turn subbed it to Eurowings who in turn subbed it to FinnAir and who finally was the carrier.... and of course after contacting each and every one of these carriers I received standard run around asking and pointing at the partner... Way to go Star Alliance!!!

Coming back to my story and my seats being sold without my authorization... At the window we were told that we can be accommodated following day in the afternoon. This would not be so good for us as following day we had a court case scheduled at 09:00 AM and it was sort of important... Eventually we were offered flight to Dresden which supposed to get us within 3.5 hour drive of Wroclaw - that is the best the airline could do. We were not offered any additional assistance, and we were told that if we require hotel, food, transportation, or even a phone call to inform relatives - we will have to pay for it ourselves and submit the claim for reimbursement later - which is not true - check the rules in your passenger rights!!!

As we did not know any better - we jumped on the flight to Dresden, getting assurance that additional assistance will be provided there. In Dresden on July 24th in the evening we encounter empty airport and nobody to turn to!!!! All rental agencies were closed already at that time, not trains or busses going to Wroclaw either... We decided to go most dangerous way forced by Lufthansa worst customer care and incompetence - we hitched all the remaining way. There are - thank God - some good Samaritans out there. We arrived at our destination "only" with 14 hour delay... As far as Lufthansa - we are still in Dresden. Upon arriving back in Canada on August 20th, 2022 I wrote to Air Canada and opened claim for involuntary denied boarding - same run around happened again and was pointed to Lufthansa. Did that also - and they took their sweet time replying and opening the case (3 months).

In the meantime (September) I opened claim with Canada Transportation Agency, but they are "overworked" and have not hear from them yet... Lufthansa got back to me with claim number. Their agent - who I am in contact - Kwakhanya ** from day one is delaying process of my claim and plays ignorance. Many of my emails asking for update are unanswered, request to be contacted by their superiors - the same - no answers. On December 7th, 2022 finally she did graciously offered me 1634.56 EUR as a compensation. Without my input on the matter I was asked to provide my banking information for wire transfer. All the necessary numbers were provided the same day. Waiting patiently I asked for update to which I got reply on December 28th that she (Kwakhanya **) received notification that payment was returned with note: RTN Account Invalid... Their incompetence is unbelievable, or they did this on purpose - you decide.

After contacting my bank I was told that there is no history in last 3 months that somebody tried (with right or wrong numbers) wire me any money... Most likely Ms ** forgot to include SWIFT BIC number.... When I followed up with the email, I got response... 17 days later, word for word the same as I did on December 7th, from the same rep Kwakhanya ** but this time offering me 1,200 EUR.... Case is still ongoing since July 24th, 2022. I will wonder how long it will go on. To protect you from the same treatment, I will tell you below with extract straight from CTA site what your rights are and to execute them to the fully and do not allow anybody to push you around like Lufthansa and Air Canada did with us...

Obligations: Situations within the airline's control. If an airline denies boarding against a passenger's will, it must:

- communicate key information to passengers

Assistance: Airlines have to provide passengers certain amenities free of charge while they wait for the new flights being arranged for them.

- Reasonable quantities of food and drink. Airlines must provide a reasonable amount of food and drink. They should take into account the following factors when determining the quantity and timing:

Length of delay/time of day: Airlines should consider the length of the delay and the time of day it occurred when deciding how much food to provide and when. For example, it would be reasonable to expect greater quantities of food at typical meal times and after waiting for a long period of time.

Location of airport: Where the delay takes place may affect the type and range of food and drink options (e.g., Canada's North and remote areas).

Access to means of communication: Airlines must give passengers access to communication, free of charge. How they do this depends on the circumstances. For example, the airline could loan the passenger a cell phone, provide a pre-paid calling card, or provide access to Wi-Fi.

Overnight accommodation: When a passenger will have to wait overnight for a new flight (and where this would not have been necessary for the original flight), the airline must offer the passenger hotel or other comparable accommodation. This must:

- include transportation to and from the accommodation.

Compensation: In all denied boarding cases within the airline's control except those required for safety, the airline must compensate the passenger for the inconvenience. The amount of compensation depends on how late the passenger arrives at their destination, compared to the arrival time indicated on their original ticket. Specifically, airlines must pay:

- $2,400, if the passenger arrives nine hours or more late. (1653.62 EUR)

A passenger can only receive compensation for inconvenience under the APPR if they have not already received compensation for the same denial of boarding event under the other air passenger protection rules of another jurisdiction. Passengers have the right to seek compensation under the regime of their choice – airlines cannot refuse to compensate a passenger simply because that passenger would also be eligible under another jurisdiction's rules. Airlines are encouraged to track claims submitted to them under other rules to make sure the passenger receives compensation for inconvenience once.

When to pay: The airline should pay passengers their compensation immediately. If it is not operationally feasible to pay before the passenger departs on a new flight, the airline must give the passenger written confirmation of the amount to which they are entitled. The airline must base this amount on the estimated time by which the passenger’s arrival at the final destination will be delayed. If the actual delay turns out to be longer than the estimate, the airline must adjust the compensation to reflect the actual delay.

I would like to "thank" Lufthansa on making me expert in passenger rights....

Andrew K

Alas! Our baggies were not there. I have to rebook my return flight to Nigeria from 31st Dec 2022 to 6th Jan 2023 in the hope I will be able to get our luggage. Today is 3rd January 2023, our baggages have not been delivered to us at the hotel we are booked. I just want you all to guess the stress I've been through with my family because of this. Untold. Absolutely very wicked of Lufthansa to do this. Never fly this airline anymore.

I kept calling 1800 645 3880, the USA phone number. For weeks, even months, the voice message would say that the lines were busy and to call later. I finally got my call answered in November. I explained the whole situation, and got disconnected. I tried the second time. The second rep assisted, I explained the whole situation, and got disconnected. Five times in a row! This cannot be normal.

At one point, I asked the rep whether they were having issues with phones, and she responded yes, but they are being worked on. But I called on other days, too, and it was the same. I got disconnected every time I got a rep on the phone. Is this a tactic by Lufthansa to keep disgruntled customers away??? Basically you can't get anything solved, since you get disconnected every time!! And I repeat, EVERY TIME!!! Over a span of two weeks, I called the US phone number about 10 times, and got disconnected every time, after I explained to the rep what I needed. Is this normal??

So I called the German phone number +49 - 69 - 86 799 799, on December 5, 2022. The rep reviewed the files and offered to rebook my parents' tickets. We spend over an hour on the phone (and got a message from AT&T phone company that I just got charged $200 for the long distance call). The rep gives me a new booking code. She took my credit card number and said I would be charged $41.23 for tax, and $150 for rebooking, for either of my parents. I agreed to these terms. The rep gave me the new booking code. I checked on the website, and the code was on the LH booking site. Two days later I checked again, and the code was no longer there.

I called +49 - 69 - 86 799 799 again. Asked a different rep why the code disappeared from the LH website. The rep checked, and said it was because those flights were no longer available (nobody let me know that! Imagine my parents going to the airport on the day of, and find no seats on the plane!). She offered to rebook to ‘available’ dates. Took my credit card information, told me that I would be charged $41.27 for either parent, the booking code would stay the same, and now we’re supposedly confirmed. I received an email from Lufthansa with confirmation. However, the email also said to “Please call back your Lufthansa Service Center”. I smelled a problem again!!

I called Lufthansa, spoke to a rep, who checked the booking, and she assured me that everything was in order. I also checked the website, and the booking showed. Two days later, IT DISAPPEARED AGAIN! I tried for the last time, on December 21, 2022. The LH rep said that the previous booking didn’t go for ticketing (no explanation provided!). I said this would be my last time attempting to rebook the two flights; if I’m not successful, I will file a complaint with Better Business Bureau, and the Department of Transportation, and will take legal action. The rep said the booking would be done. Again, he took my credit card, and said the two tickets would cost $382.46 - $150 for rebooking, and $41.23 for tax, for each ticket. Which, again, is a different story from what the previous reps told me. The rep said that I would receive an email with confirmation. Which, as I anticipated, never came. Around $2,500 wasted.

We decided to suck it up and go anyway, but then found they wouldn't allow online check in, we were forced to check in at the airport (adding more time to our travel). Then, we received an email stating the flight was full and we needed to check all of our luggage. I'm writing this as I'm on the phone with my travel company to change this flight, I don't have much hope as our destination from here has limited options. Boycott Lufthansa and let them go financially bankrupt, they're already morally bankrupt.