Lufthansa - will be denied boarding, so would like a refund

emmaruthuk

Hi,

Hope you wonderful people can help and advise me.

When Israel opened it's border's to tourists, I booked a flight to travel there and see my brother for the first time in two years and meet his new fiancé in person.  However, due to the new variant, Israel has closed it's borders to all but citizens and holders of specific visas.  I do not meet those criteria, and would be denied boarding as a result.  If I tried to travel, it could cause me problems entering Israel in the future, which I don't want.

I've tried to explain this to Lufthansa and they are saying that it is not their policy to issue full refunds in this situation, and would only refund the taxes. My travel insurance company (Insure and Go) say that it's Lufthansa that should handle it, not them.  I can't rebook, as I don't know when the situation with the border will change, plus I'm tied into certain things with work that would make it virtually impossible to do so at short notice.

Is there any way I can get some of this money back? Any advice about who I can speak to/reach out to for advice?

Sandtree

If the flight is still going then its your problem, not Lufthansa's that you cannot enter the country. I assume you didnt buy a flexible ticket in which case if you want to cancel then you are only entitled to the taxes back as they have stated.

Due to Covid however even non-flexible tickets can be rescheduled if its not an Economy Light fare, if it is economy light then you are back to the T&Cs

Should have looked before you booked but the alterations due to Covid are Extended rebooking options | Lufthansa

onashoestring

Lufthansa are not required to refund you unless they cancel the flight .

Unfortunately the insurance providers you have chosen -Insure and Go - state that their policies do not cover Coronavirus-related claims such as lockdowns, quarantines or other government restriction.

In this situation the offer to reschedule or refund the taxes is the best you will get unless Lufthansa cancel the flight.

You haven’t said when your flight is but maybe Israel will have reviewed the situation and changed the entry requirements by the time of your flight ? 

eskbanker

emmaruthuk said:

My travel insurance company (Insure and Go) say that it's Lufthansa that should handle it, not them.

Insurers will usually refuse to reimburse costs that can be recovered from other parties who are liable, so if, for example, Lufthansa cancelled the flight then the airline would be responsible for refunding you.  However, in this scenario, where the airline has no such responsibility, your insurer should reimburse you, provided of course that your policy includes cover for such circumstances (they'd presumably have refused outright if that wasn't the case).

silvercar

They need to set a wedding date, as you can get permission to travel to attend the wedding of a sibling!

In the mean time, would Lufthansa allow you to transfer the booking to a future date?

michael1234

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

soolin

michael1234 said:

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

Why would OP be given a refund if they turned up and were turned away as not being able to enter Israel? 

michael1234

soolin said:

michael1234 said:

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

Why would OP be given a refund if they turned up and were turned away as not being able to enter Israel? 

My thinking is because they would be refused to fly by Lufthansa (not by Israel as they'd be in the UK at check-in).

That would make it more explicit that LH had sold the OP they couldn't use...

Its more of a question than any certainty in the matter.

onashoestring

michael1234 said:

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

It would be a similar situation if the OP turned up without their passport, the airline would refuse boarding because the passenger
doesn’t meet the entry requirements for the country, it wouldn’t entitle the passenger to a refund. 

eskbanker

michael1234 said:

soolin said:

michael1234 said:

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

Why would OP be given a refund if they turned up and were turned away as not being able to enter Israel? 

My thinking is because they would be refused to fly by Lufthansa (not by Israel as they'd be in the UK at check-in).

That would make it more explicit that LH had sold the OP they couldn't use...

Its more of a question than any certainty in the matter.

And the answer is that airlines' obligations to refund customers for denied boarding effectively only apply where such denial is within their control (e.g. overbooking) - lack of compliance with entry regulations imposed by the destination country is deemed to be reasonable grounds for denial in the context of the regulations:

"denied boarding" means a refusal to carry passengers on a flight, although they have presented themselves for boarding under the conditions laid down in Article 3(2), except where there are reasonable grounds to deny them boarding, such as reasons of health, safety or security, or inadequate travel documentation

Thrugelmir

michael1234 said:

soolin said:

michael1234 said:

So what would happen if the OP rocked up to the check-in desk to check in? Presumably Lufthansa would deny boarding and could the OP request a refund at that point ? This is a different situation to the one posted here recently which the poster didn't attempt to check in at all.

Why would OP be given a refund if they turned up and were turned away as not being able to enter Israel? 

My thinking is because they would be refused to fly by Lufthansa (not by Israel as they'd be in the UK at check-in).

That would make it more explicit that LH had sold the OP they couldn't use...

Its more of a question than any certainty in the matter.

That's why airlines sell fully refundable / transferrable tickets. Customers have a choice as to how much risk they are personally happy to accept. After nearly two years of a global pandemic. People need to start accepting responsibility for their own decisions.