Lufthansa emerges as the most reluctant airline to pay compensation for disrupted flights

Lufthansa has emerged as one of the most aggressive EU airlines in passenger compensation matters, claims management company Skycop states.

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA, November 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With more than 4 million euros in active cases for 10,000 affected passengers and a recent strategy of settling compensations in court, Lufthansa has emerged as one of the most aggressive EU airlines in passenger compensation matters, claims management company Skycop states.

In recent years, Lufthansa has become one of the largest airline in Skycop’s active claims portfolio, with over 4 million euros owed to travelers the company represents. Given that passengers can claim compensation for disrupted flights either directly from airlines or through other intermediaries, the total amount Lufthansa may currently owe to customers could be dozens of times higher.

Skycop's attorney-at-law, Nerijus Zaleckas, says that Lufthansa has always had a large number of active claims due to its size, yet the recent shift towards aggressive tactics is both surprising and noteworthy.

"We saw Lufthansa as being quite passenger-friendly several years ago, paying disrupted flight compensations out of court. Around 2-3 years ago, they shifted to a tactic of overly complicated processes and redundant requirements, designed specifically to make things more difficult for passengers. Recently, however, they have become even more aggressive, now essentially paying compensation only after the claim reaches court. This extends the claim timeframe, and adds extra costs to Lufthansa and its shareholders," comments Zaleckas.

Zaleckas also notes that EU courts are generally pro-consumer, so most disputes that reach court eventually result in a settlement, with claims fully paid along with all legal fees and costs.

"Such behavior is surprising, as Lufthansa usually still loses, pays everything it owes, and spends additional millions on legal costs. Most airlines already understand that EU261 compensations are essentially inevitable, so only a fraction of claims reach courts. In Lufthansa's case, it's hard to see a justification for such aggressive tactics, other than trying to delay the process, which ultimately becomes even more expensive and frustrating to passengers," says Zaleckas.

He suggests that air carriers may try to mislead passengers about the reasons for flight disruptions, while some have attempted to discourage customers from using claims management companies.

"I urge travelers to always exercise their rights: the EU261 regulation was created to compensate passengers for inconveniences and to encourage airlines to improve performance. While severe weather or certain strikes are legitimate reasons for not paying compensation, long delays and flight disruptions are much more often caused by operational issues within airlines' control such as scheduling, delayed incoming flights, crew shortages, and aircraft rotations. From the passengers' perspective, the solution should be straightforward: always file a claim for any disruptions, either directly with the airline or through intermediaries like Skycop. With international teams of lawyers, data analysts, and other professionals, we have the right tools to investigate passenger and airline claims, defend our customers' interests in court and beyond court, and reach the fastest positive outcome," Zaleckas comments.

Under the EU261 regulation, compensation for significant delays applies to departures from EU airports (regardless of the airline’s country of origin) and to arrivals at EU airports on EU-registered airlines. Passengers are entitled to compensation ranging from €250 to €600, depending on the flight distance, for delays exceeding three hours, cancellations and overbookings.

Skycop is a major European claims management company founded in 2017.

Kostas Baubinas
Skycop
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