Lufthansa EUR 600 compensation: long-haul routes and reductions
Short answer: EUR 600 per passenger is the standard EU261 amount for an eligible Lufthansa journey over 3,500 km that is not wholly inside the EU. It commonly applies to Lufthansa-operated travel between Europe and North America, Asia, southern Africa or parts of South America. A long delay between three and four hours can reduce it to EUR 300, and extraordinary circumstances can defeat the fixed payment if Lufthansa proves the full defence.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
The amount is not reserved for expensive fares. Economy, Business, First and a qualifying Miles & More award ticket receive the same fixed sum. Distance and entitlement, not ticket price, set the band.
Five conditions for EUR 600
- EU261 covers the journey.
- The measured route exceeds 3,500 km.
- The route is not entirely within the EU.
- Delay, cancellation or denied boarding meets its legal trigger.
- Lufthansa cannot establish an applicable defence or reduction.
All five matter. A six-hour Frankfurt to Tenerife delay is not automatically EUR 600 simply because the passenger perceives it as long haul. An intra-EU journey over 1,500 km belongs in the EUR 400 band. By contrast, Frankfurt to New York clearly exceeds 3,500 km and ends outside the EU.
Direction matters less for Lufthansa than for non-EU airlines
Lufthansa is a Community carrier. EU261 therefore covers Lufthansa-operated departures from the EU and qualifying Lufthansa-operated arrivals into the EU from third countries.
| Direction and operator | EU261 starting position |
|---|---|
| Frankfurt to New York, Lufthansa | covered EU departure |
| New York to Frankfurt, Lufthansa | covered inbound by EU carrier |
| Toronto to Munich, Lufthansa | covered inbound by EU carrier |
| New York to Frankfurt, United under LH code | generally not covered inbound by EU261 |
| Delhi to Frankfurt, Lufthansa | covered inbound by EU carrier |
This makes the operating-carrier line decisive. A return ticket can have one sector flown by Lufthansa and another by a partner. Test each affected flight rather than assuming the logo makes both directions identical.
Final destination sets the distance
For one booking, measure origin to final destination affected by the disruption. Frankfurt or Munich may only be a connection point.
Example: Warsaw to Frankfurt to San Francisco is issued on one Lufthansa ticket. The Warsaw feeder is cancelled, the passenger is rerouted and reaches San Francisco 12 hours late. The distance is Warsaw to San Francisco, not Warsaw to Frankfurt. Subject to cause and notice, the starting amount is EUR 600.
The same logic can work on an inbound Lufthansa journey. Tokyo to Munich to Paris on one booking, operated by Lufthansa, arrives Paris eight hours late after a missed connection. The final destination is Paris and Lufthansa's EU status supports inbound coverage.
Separate tickets break that chain. A separately purchased short feeder that arrives under three hours late is not enlarged by a lost long-haul ticket. Check booking references, e-ticket numbers and through baggage.
When Lufthansa may pay EUR 300
For delayed arrival on a journey over 3,500 km, EU case law permits a 50 percent reduction where final arrival is under four hours late. Thus:
| Final arrival delay | Long-haul amount before cause defence |
|---|---|
| Under 3 hours | EUR 0 fixed delay compensation |
| 3:00 to 3:59 | EUR 300 |
| 4:00 or more | EUR 600 |
Cancellation and denied boarding use the Article 7(2) rerouting windows. If Lufthansa offers an alternative reaching the destination no more than four hours after schedule on a route over 3,500 km, it may halve the payment. The reduction is tied to actual arrival, not merely the replacement flight Lufthansa proposed.
Do not accept EUR 300 without checking door-opening time. An aircraft that touched down at 3 hours 51 minutes may not have opened a door until after four hours.
Family and group calculations
Compensation belongs to each eligible passenger. A family of five on a cancelled Munich to Los Angeles journey can have EUR 3,000 in fixed claims. The person who paid does not own everyone else's statutory right.
Children with their own seats and qualifying publicly available fares are generally included. An infant travelling free without a seat or boarding pass may fall outside. For a corporate ticket, the traveller remains the passenger even if the employer funded the fare.
List every claimant, date of birth where needed, ticket number and amount. Obtain authority from represented adults. Add shared hotel or taxi costs only once.
Cause can still remove fixed compensation
Routine technical faults, rotation problems and ordinary crew planning are normally inherent in airline activity. Lufthansa must identify any claimed extraordinary event and demonstrate reasonable measures.
Severe weather, airspace closure, an ATC decision or security event can qualify. The carrier should still show why the event affected this aircraft and why rerouting, reserve resources or a different recovery plan could not avoid the long final delay.
Even where no EUR 600 is payable, Article 9 care remains. A passenger stranded overnight at Frankfurt or Munich can claim a reasonable hotel, meals and airport transport if Lufthansa did not supply them.
GBP is a different claim
A journey departing the United Kingdom normally starts under UK261. Its top band is GBP 520, reduced to GBP 260 for a long delay between three and four hours. Do not translate EUR 600 using the daily exchange rate or request both fixed amounts.
Travel between the UK and EU can create overlapping territorial signals. One recovery remains the objective. Use Lufthansa UK261 versus EU261 before choosing the demand.
Claim wording and proof
State:
- complete one-ticket route and final destination;
- operating carrier for the affected sector;
- scheduled and actual door-opening time;
- great-circle distance category;
- event type and notice where relevant;
- EUR 600 or EUR 300 per passenger;
- care expenses in a separate schedule.
Attach the original itinerary, boarding passes, rerouting and messages. If Lufthansa gives a half payment, request the arrival record and legal basis. If it invokes extraordinary circumstances, request the event and mitigation evidence.
Use the Lufthansa EUR/GBP calculator for mixed routes and the claim form guide to package the request.
FAQ
Does every Lufthansa long-haul delay pay EUR 600?
No. Coverage, three-hour arrival, distance, cause and any reduction must all be satisfied.
Is New York to Frankfurt covered when Lufthansa operates it?
Yes, EU261 can cover the inbound flight because Lufthansa is an EU carrier arriving in the EU.
Why did Lufthansa offer only EUR 300?
That can be correct for a route over 3,500 km arriving between three and four hours late. Verify legal door-opening time.
Does a Business ticket receive more than EUR 600?
No. Fixed compensation is cabin-neutral. A separate downgrade reimbursement can depend on ticket price.
Is EUR 600 paid for each family member?
Yes, for each eligible passenger. Shared expenses are separately claimed and should not be multiplied.
Official sources
- Regulation 261/2004: Articles 3 and 7.
- Lufthansa passenger-rights table: current euro amounts.
- European Commission guidance: long-delay reduction.
- Germanwings C-452/13: door-opening time.
- Lufthansa route overview: Frankfurt and Munich global network context.