Lufthansa Archives

Ellen LaGow gets downgraded on a Lufthansa flight. The airline promises her a refund for her business class tickets. But it's been five months and there's still nothing in her account.

Downgraded on a Lufthansa flight. Where’s my business class refund?

May 21, 2023May 19, 2023 by Christopher Elliott

Ellen LaGow and her husband face an inconvenient situation when their return flight from Prague to Denver gets canceled because of a Lufthansa strike. Though they had upgraded to business class, they’re unable to enjoy the same comfort when they rebook on a United flight the next day. Can they get a refund of the fare difference?

Lufthansa canceled my flight a year ago. Where’s my $3,450 refund?

November 10, 2022 by Christopher Elliott

My seat upgrade disappeared, but Lufthansa kept my money

April 25, 2023November 4, 2016 by Christopher Elliott

All Ronald LaPedis wants to do is fly from San Francisco to Bangalore, India, in relative comfort. But a codesharing upgrade nightmare threatens to send him to the back of the plane.

“You are my last hope”

February 2, 2015 by Christopher Elliott

I want to help Krista Krauss. I think she deserves to be helped. And when you start an email with “You are my last hope,” how can I not at least try?

If I’m too contagious to fly can I get a refund for my flight?

October 3, 2014 by Christopher Elliott

Alex Cerniglia is too sick to fly and even if he boarded the plane, he could infect other passengers. So why is Lufthansa keeping his money?

Should the babies in business class get priority bassinets?

August 19, 2014August 19, 2014 by Christopher Elliott

Even though Kim Centrone made arrangements for Lufthansa to provide a bassinet for her baby on a recent flight from Washington to Frankfurt, the airline came up empty-handed. Now she wants a refund for the $1,000 extra she says she spent for the seat and the guarantee of the bassinet.

Can an airline break its own rules?

May 26, 2014 by Christopher Elliott

It’s true that airlines come up with some of the most absurd rules in the travel business. If you have any doubts, just ask your favorite travel agent to book a hidden city or back-to-back ticket.

Lufthansa stranded my 16-year-old son in Detroit

August 6, 2013August 6, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

It’s something out of every mother’s worst nightmare: Your child is stranded at the airport and won’t be able to fly home unless he forks over thousands of dollars for a new ticket.

That nightmare came true for Gloria Castillo-Ibrahim and her 16-year-old son, Kareem Amir Gharib, recently. They’re inexperienced air travelers, but in a way, nothing could have prepared them for the trouble they experienced.

Castillo-Ibrahim wants me to help her fix this problem, but I’m not really sure if I can, or if I should. Your thoughts on this case would be helpful.

The problem began when Castillo-Ibrahim’s husband decided to surprise her son for Christmas by booking two roundtrip tickets from Cairo to Detroit on Lufthansa’s website.

How much does my airline owe me for a broken seat?

June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Elite-level frequent travelers who whine if their lie-flat business seat doesn’t recline all the way are regularly and shamelessly mocked on this site.

I typically have little sympathy for entitled crybabies who can’t lean all the way back, while the folks in economy class are wedged into their seats and can barely move. It’s particularly irritating when it turns out these platinum-plated complainers either didn’t pay for the ticket themselves, footing the bill with their employer’s money, or got to it by unethically “hacking” the system.

So when Andrew Buffen came to me with a problem with reclining seats on a Lufthansa codeshare flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, I almost reflexively sent it to the “case dismissed” file.

Did Lufthansa “steal” her laptop computer?

February 8, 2013February 8, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Stacey Tappan claims Lufthansa stole her laptop computer, and she wants me to help her get it back.

Before I get to her story, let me acknowledge that terms like “stealing” and “theft” can mean different things to people. We’ve seen that in several recent stories, and sometimes, we have to agree to disagree.

But Tappan stretches the definition of stealing, even for me.

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