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Lufthansa’s Snow-Night Payouts Questioned as Passengers Press Compensation Claims

The carrier is invoking extraordinary circumstances to curb liability under EU rules.

Overview

  • About 600 travelers on six flights, including five from the Lufthansa Group and one from Air Arabia, spent the night on parked aircraft at Munich Airport on February 19.
  • Lufthansa has acknowledged operational errors, citing severe weather, too few bus drivers due to misprioritization, and a mistaken decision not to escalate by alerting the airport fire service.
  • One affected passenger was first reimbursed €10.93 for food and drinks, and Lufthansa now says it also issued a voluntary €250 payment in that case, with higher amounts for longer routes.
  • Consumer advocates, including Flightright, dispute the airline’s stance and say compensation of up to €600 per person may be due if all reasonable measures were not taken.
  • At least one passenger has turned to the arbitration body for redress, and prosecutors in Landshut are examining the incident and expect the review to take time.