Lufthansa compensation for delayed and cancelled flights

If your Lufthansa flight is delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to compensation of up to €600 per person under European regulation EC 261. As a rule, you qualify if you arrive at your final destination 3 hours late or more, or if your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, provided the cause was within Lufthansa's control. In this guide, you'll learn about your rights as an air passenger, when you qualify for compensation, and how to file a claim.

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You’re protected under European Regulation EC 261, so long as your flight departed from the EU or arrived there on an EU airline.

• You must receive food and drinks if delayed at the airport for 2 hours or more (3 or 4 hours on longer flights), plus accommodation if overnight.

• If the delay upon arrival is 3 hours or more, you may be entitled to compensation.

• Compensation ranges from €250 to €600 under EC 261, depending on the flight distance (e.g., €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km).

• If the delay is 5 hours or more, you have the right to choose not to travel and receive a refund of the ticket. You are also entitled to a return flight to your original departure airport if necessary.

• 1-hour delay: what the law says →

• 2-hour delay: mandatory assistance →

• 3-hour delay: right to compensation →

• 5-hour delay: refund and compensation →

1-hour delay: what the law says

A delay of one hour does not entitle you to compensation or assistance from the airline in the form of meals and drinks. However, you have the right to be informed about the delay and its developments.

In certain situations, however, even a one-hour delay could, albeit indirectly, entitle you to compensation. For example, a one-hour delay could result in the loss of a connecting flight, or contribute to a total delay of more than 3 or 4 hours. If you think you fall into one of these categories, check your eligibility with our free compensation checker.

2-hour delay: mandatory assistance

If your Lufthansa flight is delayed by at least 2 hours and is 1,500 km or less, you are entitled to assistance, which includes:

The airline must provide assistance free of charge, even in cases where it is not responsible for the delay – such as in the event of bad weather or other extraordinary circumstances.

On longer flights, assistance starts later. You're entitled to it after 3 hours on flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km and on other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and after 4 hours on all other flights, including most Lufthansa long-haul flights. These times refer to the delay at departure, while compensation depends on how late you arrive.

3-hour delay: right to compensation

If your Lufthansa flight arrives 3 hours late or more, in addition to assistance, you may be entitled to compensation under European Regulation EC 261. Arrival time means the moment at least one of the aircraft's doors opens and passengers can get off, not when the wheels touch the runway.

5-hour delay: refund and compensation

If your flight is delayed by 5 hours or more, you have these rights:

If you choose the refund, Lufthansa must pay it within 7 days.

Lufthansa flight delay compensation amounts are set by European Regulation EC 261 and determined by flight distance and length of delay, not ticket price:

• For short flights covering distances up to 1,500 km, passengers are entitled to €250 per person under EC 261.

• Flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km, and other flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, qualify for compensation of €400 per passenger under EC 261.

• Other long-haul flights over 3,500 km have a tiered compensation structure: €600 per passenger for delays of 4 hours or more, and €300 per passenger for delays between 3 and 4 hours, all amounts under EC 261 law.

If you're confused, here's a simple table to help:

Amounts per passenger, as set by EC Regulation 261.

So if your Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Chicago arrives 3 hours 30 minutes late, Lufthansa can pay you €300 instead of €600, under EC 261 law. From 4 hours onwards, you're entitled to the full amount.

Lufthansa compensation calculator

Not sure how much you’re owed? Use our free compensation calculator below to see if you're eligible and determine the amount. Just enter your flight details and we’ll estimate your claim.

In the event of a Lufthansa flight cancellation, European Regulation EC 261 grants you certain immediate rights:

• Alternative transportation to get to your destination.

• Ticket refund if you decide not to travel.

• As with delays, you are also entitled to care and assistance, which includes meals, refreshments, communication rights, and hotel room and transportation to and from the airport if necessary.

In addition, you may be entitled to up to €600 in compensation under EC 261.

When are you entitled to flight cancellation compensation?

In the event of flight cancellation, you are eligible for Lufthansa compensation if:

• You received a notice regarding cancellation less than 14 days before departure.

• The airline is responsible for the cancellation (e.g., operational issues or staff shortages).

• If you took a replacement flight, your new arrival time was significantly different to your original flight.

The airline can avoid paying compensation if they were able to offer you an alternative flight which would get you to your destination at a very similar time to your original arrival time.

As with delayed flights, the amount of compensation under EC 261 is based on flight distance, not ticket price, and can be up to €600 per passenger. However, in the case of cancelled flights, eligibility for compensation also depends on the notice given, as well as the alternative flight offered. Here's how the rules break down based on timing:

*Amounts set by EC Regulation 261, depending on flight distance. If you take an alternative flight, the airline can reduce the compensation by 50% if you arrive no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours after your original arrival time, depending on the distance.

For example, here’s how the rules apply when Lufthansa cancels your flight ten days before departure:

• Frankfurt to Athens, new flight 5 hours later. Ten days before departure, Lufthansa cancels your flight for a reason within its control and books you on one that reaches Athens 5 hours after your original arrival time. That is outside the 4-hour window, so you could claim €400 as well as taking the new flight. Accepting the alternative doesn't mean giving up your compensation.

• Frankfurt to Athens, new flight within the time limits. If the alternative flight instead left no more than 2 hours before your original departure time and got you to Athens less than 4 hours late, Lufthansa would owe you no compensation. You could still choose between that flight and a refund.

Refund, rebooking or both?

When Lufthansa cancels your flight, you can choose between:

• A refund within 7 days for the flights you haven't taken, plus a free flight back to where you started if necessary.

• A new flight to your final destination, as soon as possible or on a later date that suits you.

You can't have both, but compensation can come on top of either option. For example, if Lufthansa cancels your flight 3 days before departure for a reason within its control, and the only alternative would get you to your final destination 2 hours or more late, you can take the refund and claim compensation.

There are two ways to claim compensation – direct via Lufthansa or via a third party expert like AirHelp.

Claiming with AirHelp

We handle everything for you, from start to finish so it’s as easy as possible to get your money.

That last step is where most of our work happens. In 2025, 58% of the valid claims AirHelp filed were initially rejected, or received no response at all. That's an average across all the airlines in our data, with considerable variation between them. The reasons given often included bad weather or air traffic control restrictions, even when there was no supporting information on record.

So we follow up when an airline doesn't reply, check the reason it gave against flight, weather and air traffic data, and where a valid claim is still refused we can take it to court. You pay only if we recover your compensation.

When a claim goes to court, the legal costs and the risk of losing are ours. We work with local legal specialists in more than 30 countries, so we can bring your claim in the country where it stands the best chance, among those where the law allows it to be brought.

The right to Lufthansa compensation for a disrupted flight depends on the airline’s responsibility. Airlines are not required to compensate passengers in cases of extraordinary circumstances, meaning situations beyond the airline's control. These include severe weather conditions, medical emergencies, airport staff strikes, political instability, bird strikes, acts of sabotage, security risks… you get the idea.

If you’re still unsure, the table below helps clarify when you might be eligible for compensation:

Under extraordinary circumstances, compensation is therefore off the table. However, other rights still apply, such as the right to care and assistance during your wait and, if applicable, the right to a ticket refund.

Are strikes an extraordinary circumstance?

It depends on who is on strike. Under current EU rules, if Lufthansa's own staff, such as its pilots or cabin crew, go on strike, the airline usually still has to pay compensation. The Court of Justice of the EU ruled in 2021 that a strike by an airline's own employees is part of its normal activity, and therefore not an extraordinary circumstance.

Strikes by people who don't work for the airline, such as air traffic controllers or airport staff, are different, and can count as extraordinary circumstances. Even then, you keep your right to assistance while you wait and, if your flight is cancelled, to a refund or an alternative flight. Our guide to Lufthansa strike compensation explains your rights in more detail.