Lufthansa has cancelled more flights for the summer than any other European carrier, grounding at least 20,000 departures. Under EU air passenger rights, customers should be offered alternative flights, but one Scottish passenger was refused a replacement.
Rhona Taylor was booked to fly from Glasgow to Frankfurt in June, a route Lufthansa trimmed due to high jet fuel prices. Her outbound flight was replaced by a departure from Edinburgh, but her return flight was simply cancelled, with only refund or postponement options offered.
The airline told Ms Taylor: “We have had to make some adjustments to our flight schedule. Unfortunately, an alternative is not available for all sections of your journey.” However, under EU regulations, Lufthansa must provide an acceptable alternative, including on another airline.
Lufthansa said it could not comment on Ms Taylor’s case for data protection reasons but stated it generally offers alternative flights and complies with EU regulations. The UK Civil Aviation Authority confirmed passengers are entitled to re-routing options, including via nearby airports or other airlines.
After The Independent intervened, Lufthansa offered Ms Taylor a flight from Frankfurt to Edinburgh, which she accepted. In a separate case, British Airways initially failed to offer passengers on a cancelled Heathrow-Jeddah flight a transfer to Saudia, but later offered Qatar Airways after intervention.
