LufthansaLufthansa refund: when you get your money back, how to ask and how long it takes
A Lufthansa refund returns the ticket money. Lufthansa owes it when it cancels your flight, or delays it by 5 hours or more, and you choose reimbursement over re-routing. If you cancel yourself, the fare conditions decide, and on a non-refundable fare only the taxes and fees can come back.
#When does Lufthansa have to refund you?
7 days is the UK261 limit for reimbursing your ticket when Lufthansa cancels your flight, or delays it by 5 hours or more, and you choose the money over re-routing. Lufthansa’s own refund terms go further: a full refund also applies when departure moves more than 1 hour earlier or at least 2 hours later.
Source: UK261 art. 8(1) and art. 6(1) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05; Lufthansa, refunds — lufthansa.com/gb/en, checked 2026-10-14.
Lufthansa lists the cases for a complete refund: the flight was cancelled without a replacement; the scheduled departure was brought forward by more than an hour or delayed by at least two hours; the scheduled arrival is delayed by at least two hours; or, in short-term disruptions, the departure time changed by more than five hours on the current or following day. Partially used tickets are refunded pro rata. Those 1-hour and 2-hour triggers are Lufthansa’s own terms, wider than the Regulation.
A UK departure is covered by UK261 and an EU departure by EU261. Lufthansa is an EU carrier, so a Lufthansa flight into the EU from outside it, for example from the US, is EU261 too, and a Lufthansa flight from the EU into the UK is UK261 as well as EU261. A refund and compensation are separate amounts. Under UK261, compensation is £220, £350 or £520 by distance, owed if Lufthansa cancels with less than 14 days' notice (unless the re-routing it offers stays within the Regulation’s time limits) or you arrive 3 hours or more late, and not where Lufthansa proves extraordinary circumstances that all reasonable measures could not have avoided. Under EU261 the scale is €250, €400 or €600. Lufthansa’s UK site shows only the euro scale, which is the EU261 figure, not the UK261 amount.
UK departure is covered by UK261 and an 
EU departure by EU261. 
US, is EU261 too, and a Lufthansa flight from the If compensation is due, claim it from Lufthansa directly with its own compensation form (see the last section); the Lufthansa page sets out the amounts by route.
AirHelp (third-party claim service)- Write to the airline and keep the reference
- Refused, or no answer in 8 weeks: its ADR scheme or the CAA, free
- You keep all of the compensation
Hand it overAirHelp takes the claim, no win no fee- They deal with the airline for you
- AirHelp's fee is 35% of the compensation, VAT included, and nothing if the claim fails.
Keep the cancellation email: its date decides the notice window.
#How do you ask Lufthansa for a refund, and how long does it take?
3 routes reach a Lufthansa refund: “Flight details” in “My bookings”, the Lufthansa Chat Assistant, or an alternative refund form that Lufthansa’s service centres process manually. Lufthansa states no day count; UK261 article 8 sets 7 days when Lufthansa cancels or delays you 5 hours or more. The refund goes to the payment method you used.
Source: Lufthansa, refunds; cancellations and refunds; General Conditions of Carriage, art. 10 — lufthansa.com/gb/en, checked 2026-10-14; UK261 art. 8(1) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.
Situation | What you get | How long |
|---|---|---|
Lufthansa cancels | Refund to the payment method used, or a replacement flight | Lufthansa states no day count; UK261 art. 8 sets seven days |
You cancel a refundable fare | Refund according to the fare conditions | Online up to 2 hours before departure |
You do not travel on a non-refundable fare | Taxes and fees only | Lufthansa states no deadline |
If you bought on lufthansa.com or at a Lufthansa Office, Lufthansa says the refund “will be made automatically and there is no need for any further action”. Payment fees are not refunded (GCC 10.1.3). Tickets from a travel agent go through the agent: GCC 10.4 says to “contact the travel agency”.
Ask for cash if you want cash. UK261 article 7(3) lists cash, electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques, and travel vouchers only “with the signed agreement of the passenger”. The voucher and refund guide covers declining one on a UK departure, and the EU version covers an EU departure.
Request the refund the day the cancellation email arrives and note the date. If nothing reaches you 7 days later, write again citing article 8.
#Can you get money back if you cancel a Lufthansa flight yourself?
2 hours before the start of your journey is the cut-off for cancelling a Lufthansa booking online. What you get back depends on the fare: Lufthansa says refunds follow “the fare conditions of your purchased ticket”, shown in your booking confirmation email under “Fare conditions”.
Source: Lufthansa, cancellations and refunds; refunds; Europe Economy fares; General Conditions of Carriage, art. 3.1.3 — lufthansa.com/gb/en, checked 2026-10-14.
Europe fare | Lufthansa's wording |
|---|---|
Economy Basic | "Tickets cannot be rebooked and are excluded from refunds" |
Economy Light | "Can only be rebooked for an extra charge" |
Economy Comfort | "Can be rebooked for an extra charge" |
Economy Flex | "Can be rebooked for free and refunded against an extra charge" |
Business Flex | "Fully flexible" |
On a non-refundable fare, “only taxes and fees can be refunded”. Lufthansa publishes no fee amounts for these changes and no 24-hour free cancellation for UK bookings, so the fee appears only in your own fare conditions.
UK261 gives nothing here: a passenger who decides not to fly on a flight that operates is in none of the situations that trigger article 8.
There is no 14-day cooling-off period either. Part 3 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply to contracts for passenger transport services (reg 27(2)(c)), so a flight bought online carries no 14-day right to cancel under them.
Source: S.I. 2013/3134, reg 27(2)(c) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.
The guide to cancelling a flight sets Lufthansa against other airlines.
#How do you get taxes back on an unused Lufthansa flight?
£15 is the reduced rate of Air Passenger Duty on a Band A flight from a UK airport, £32 the standard rate. Lufthansa says that on a non-refundable fare only taxes and fees can be refunded, and its UK page offers a “Request a refund” form for Air Passenger Duty. Lufthansa names no fee or deadline.
Source: Lufthansa, refunds; Passenger duty United Kingdom — lufthansa.com/gb/en, checked 2026-10-14; HMRC, Rates and allowances for Air Passenger Duty — gov.uk, rates from 1 April 2026.
Lufthansa’s UK page says “You are entitled to a refund of Air Passenger Duty United Kingdom under certain conditions”. The process applies to bookings made directly with Lufthansa on lufthansa.com; with a travel agent’s ticket you contact the agent.
HMRC’s rates apply to flights starting from UK airports, excluding Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands: Band A (0 to 2,000 miles) is £15 reduced, £32 standard and £142 higher; Band B (2,001 to 5,500 miles) is £102, £244 and £1,097. The reduced rate is for the lowest class on a plane with seat pitch under 1.016 metres (40 inches); the standard rate covers any other class, or the lowest class where the seat pitch is more than 1.016 metres (40 inches).
APD falls due when the aircraft first takes off on the passenger’s flight and is paid by the operator (Finance Act 1994 s.28), so none falls due for a passenger who does not fly; getting the charge back still depends on Lufthansa’s terms.
Source: Finance Act 1994, s.28(1), (2), (5) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-05.
Use the “Request a refund” form as soon as you know you will not fly.
#Voucher, compensation form and what if Lufthansa refuses?
8 weeks without a reply to your complaint is the point at which the CAA says you may take a UK261 dispute to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The CAA’s list names Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr for Lufthansa. ADR is free, and you may still go to court if you do not accept the decision.
CAA says you may take a UK261 dispute to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The CAA’s list names Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr for Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15; Lufthansa, passenger rights — lufthansa.com/gb/en, checked 2026-10-14.
Lufthansa’s compensation form is at lufthansa.com/gb/en/fast-compensation and opens on three fields: booking code or ticket number, first name and last name. Lufthansa asks for the 13-digit ticket number (220-XXXXXXXXXX) and the six-digit booking code, and says not to send credit card details.
On payment, Lufthansa says compensation comes “by cheque or bank transfer or, with your consent, in the form of a gift card”. UK261 article 7(3) agrees: vouchers only with your signed agreement. Pick bank transfer.
Lufthansa’s own page says Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr in Berlin takes the case after two months without a reply, or if you are dissatisfied; for a UK departure, work to the CAA’s eight weeks. Complain to Lufthansa first, via Lufthansa Feedback or by post. The guide to what to do when an airline refuses lists the steps.
Paid by credit card? Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives you a like claim against the card company for a misrepresentation or breach of contract by the supplier. It does not apply to a single item with a cash price of £100 or less, or more than £30,000; the test is the price the supplier attached to that item, not the amount on the card. The Section 75 and chargeback guide covers the claim.
Source: Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75(1) and (3)(b) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-20.
Not your situation? A flight leaving an EU airport, or flying into the EU on Lufthansa, falls under EU261, one leaving Canada under APPR, and a US route under US DOT rules. For a flight leaving the UK, see UK261. Unsure? Find which law covers your flight.
Canada under General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA or a consumer-rights adviser.
#Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 5, 6, 7, 8 — legislation.gov.uk.
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, reg 27 — legislation.gov.uk.
- Finance Act 1994, s.28 — legislation.gov.uk.
- HMRC, Rates and allowances for Air Passenger Duty — gov.uk.
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, s.75 — legislation.gov.uk.
- Lufthansa, refunds — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, cancellations and refunds — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, passenger rights — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, passenger duty United Kingdom — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, Europe Economy fares — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, feedback and compensation form — lufthansa.com.
- Lufthansa, General Conditions of Carriage — lufthansa.com.
- CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution — caa.co.uk.