Lufthansa airline delay refunds

[screamingsiblings]

Has anyone had to deal with Lufthansa after a cancelled flight? Was it a straightforward process to get refunds for overnight stuff/clothes etc?
DS (23) is stuck in Munich wearing shorts and a T shirt and his flight to London has been cancelled due to snow.
Airline has sorted him a hotel and flights home tomorrow (via Zurich) but i've told him to buy some trousers, jumper and a coat as well as toothbrush etc.
Will he be able to claim the cost of the clothes back? The hotel is about 10miles from the airport and he's had to get a taxi there, so I think buying suitable clothes is a necessary expense.

Just for info - he is coming home from a hot country and had planned to change clothes at Munich. But his carry on suitcase got put in the hold due to the plane being busy and he didn't think to get the warm clothes out at the check in desk. So he only has his rucksack with him and no clothes. (Luckily he has his phone charger with him.)

I suspect the airline will fight compensation on the grounds that it isn’t deemed “freak” or “wholly exceptional.” Snow in July in Barcelona would fit that bill; snow in Munich in February not so. They almost certainly won’t consider a passenger not having a coat to hand in winter to be something they need to cover his costs for.

He can put in the claim but from experience, he will probably have to take it through the adjudicator and there’s no guarantee they will find differently.

The good news is that your son is flying from an EU airport, so they won't try to get out of paying the money for the delay - unless they blame it on the weather. (I see that a PP has made that point.) They should also pay for the taxi money to the hotel that they've booked.

They might try to get out of the other expenses.

My flight from Belgrade was delayed by a day because Lufthansa gave ours to the previous flight which had been delayed by bad weather. They then refused my compensation because they said the weather had caused it.

I did get a hotel room and transport there. By the time I got to the hotel, I was told that the kitchen was closed, so got no food until my breakfast the next day. "Lufthansa won't pay for room service," the hotel told me and I only had Euros and pounds on me. (I didn't fancy using the ATM in the hotel to withdraw more Dinars.)

I had booked a transfer from Glasgow Airport to my home and had to pay the same amount all over again. After claiming on the website, there were umpteen follow-up emails where I got a different rep each time.

First I was told - no compensation. "Neither Scotland nor Serbia are in the EU."

I pointed out that I was covered by UK regulations. Then it was "Oh, it was the weather...Give us your bank details and we'll pay for your transfer..."

Short version. In the end, they said no compensation because the cancelled transfer was a "consequential loss".

Oh that doesn't sound good.
It seems he might be in for a fight when he gets home. The flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Germany.
Will they just see it as tough that he was wearing shorts and a T shirt with no access to any of his luggage then? And sent outside to a hotel?
I wonder if he should had kipped down in the airport instead.

We got a refund last summer when our flight from Munich to Frankfurt was delayed by bad weather and by the time we got to Frankfurt, our delayed flight back to the UK was cancelled as it was too late to take off.

We claimed for the hotel that we had to organise ourselves, taxi there and back, breakfast the next day, toiletries and also a taxi from Glasgow to Edinburgh airport where our car was. Frankfurt Airport staff were handing out leaflets on how to claim.

Uploaded photos of receipts online plus bank account details and got back everything we claimed for.

Almost gave up hope of getting anything and you can't speak to a human being at the airline, but the compensation came through in the end 10 weeks later.

For a cancelled flight they’re legally obliged to either refund his flight or put him onto the next available flight to his destination at their cost - and it sounds as though they’ve done this. They’re also obliged to provide vouchers for food and drink, and cover overnight accommodation and travel to this if the delay requires it - and it also sounds as though they’ve done this.

Compensation for the delay will be granted if the cancellation was the airline’s fault - e.g. things like crew shortages or tech faults – but not e.g. bad weather or air traffic control strikes. He can see below for a fairly comprehensive overview:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-cancellation-compensation/

I think it’s wholly unlikely that they will willingly cover the cost of new clothes and a coat for a one-night delay, for a passenger who knew they were travelling back into Northern Europe in winter. He can try, and take it to the adjudicator if they decline the claim, but I wouldn’t have him spend money he can’t afford to lose otherwise.

Thanks for the info.
No clothes even though they checked his carry-on bag into the hold at original check in?

Tbh, he'll be fine, and it all adds to the adventure!
I'm more worried that his luggage (including sports equipment) will get lost.

All I can say for certain is that airlines give as much and as little as they are legally obliged to. He can try. But they will argue. Their stance will be that he had an opportunity to remove essential items from his bag before it was checked, and that he cannot prove he didn’t have sufficient clothes.

In Belgrade, we were all required to go pick up our offloaded baggage.

ETA In other words, maybe the OP's son can claim from insurance?

Airlines are really quite good at baggage logistics, as it’s one of the least defensible things they can refuse to compensate for! It’s not an ideal situation for him, but he will have a good laugh in the pub with his friends about it in a couple of weeks.

Did he ask about getting his luggage back? Especially as it seems that he was put on a new flight (rather than a very delayed same flight/plane).

@ComtesseDeSpair
Yes, if he'd been more alert he should have got a pair of jeans and a jumper out before they checked his carry-on into the hold. The poor lad would have been knackered at this point so probably didn't think quick enough (or couldn't be bothered! lesson learned there!!)

I'll add that I did get £70 compensation from Saga Insurance.

It’s really interesting how different airlines and countries approach this. I previously thought that for security reasons airlines wouldn’t allow checked baggage to go to its destination without its owner - but United Airlines have proven to me three times now that they are more than happy to fly my suitcase solo and keep it safe for me until I get there to greet it!

I didn't ask him if he'd asked to have access to his luggage. He just told me he only had his rucksack with him as the rest had gone into the hold.

The poor lad has come from Cape Town - Jo'burgh, over night stay; Jo'burgh to Munich, overnight stay; Munich to Zurich; Zurich to LHR.
He'll be pleased to get home!! I hope it goes to plan tomorrow….

Tell him to check his insurance - Saga Insurance awarded me £70 for a 24 hr delay.

@WearyAuldWumman
Thanks - that's a good idea to check his insurance.
@ComtesseDeSpair

fingers crossed his bags will make it. My luggage was lost once years and years ago, but it worries me every time I fly still!

Well he's home now. And his bags are all here too!
Very impressed with Lutfhansa so far. He had a choice of 4 hotels to pick from, and sensibly picked a nice 4 star one which was paid for by Luft. He was re-booked onto the new flights before he'd even left the departure gate of the cancelled flight! He didn't bother buying anything, so all he has to reclaim is the £100 in taxi fares to and from the hotel in Munich.

The flight from Zurich to home was with Swiss Air, so not even a Luft flight.
I remembered to take a coat for him and he had a lightweight jumper with him!