Lufthansa Denies Compensation for 12-Hour Frankfurt Delay
On May 31st, on our flight from New York to Istanbul, we were delayed 12 hours in Frankfurt on our Lufthansa connecting flight, and we found out we won't be paid compensation. Booking reference/flight: 9PA5HV, LH1304. I've never heard of anything this ridiculous — they've decided our compensation won't be paid just because the flight originated from the US. But we didn't experience any problems on Lufthansa's US side at all. We couldn't understand why we were held back while other flights were departing normally. At the time, they told us it was due to weather conditions, which turned out to be false information — other airlines were continuing their flights as scheduled. Afterward, they told us there were no pilots available. About 5 hours later, they found pilots, but this time they said the plane hadn't been cleaned and that we weren't allowed to depart under those conditions. Later, on their own initiative, they put us on the very plane they'd just said we could "never board" and flew us to Istanbul. Despite all of this, our compensation request was dismissed
Progress
On May 31, 2026, I purchased a ticket from Lufthansa for a New York (EWR) – Istanbul (IST) flight with a connection in Frankfurt. My flight, LH1304 from Frankfurt to Istanbul, reservation code 9PA5HV, was seriously delayed as Lufthansa informed me by e‑mail, and I had to wait in Frankfurt for about 12 hours. During this time only a meal voucher was provided; no accommodation, extra services, or satisfactory information were offered.
As a result of this prolonged delay, I arrived in Istanbul around 2–3 am, and I was both physically exhausted and my plans were completely disrupted. Nevertheless, Lufthansa did not pay any compensation for a long time and my grievance was not addressed.
Later, I contacted Lufthansa and requested compensation for the inconvenience I suffered. In its response, the company claimed that the delay was caused by “extraordinary circumstances” beyond its control, such as weather conditions, and that because the start and end points of my travel itinerary are outside the European Union, the flight does not fall under EC261, so I have no right to compensation. I do not accept this answer, because I had to wait 12 hours at the airport due to a serious flight delay, a single meal voucher is far from adequate to cover this hardship, and I purchased my ticket from Lufthansa, making the airline fully responsible for the entire journey.
I request a refund of the ticket price I paid as compensation for the prolonged delay, and I ask Lufthansa to reconsider its decision and address my grievance in a fair manner.
