Reporting a flight cancellation, delay, denied boarding, upgrade or downgrade

To file a complaint about a flight due to cancellation, delay, denied boarding, upgrading or downgrading, please proceed as follows:

• You first submit the complaint to the air carrier concerned.
• If you do not receive a response from them within a reasonable period of time or if the response is not satisfactory to you, you can file a complaint with the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA).
• Go to the federal portal verwaltung.bund.de and complete the online form.
• You can upload your documents directly. Alternatively, you can send your notification and documents to the LBA by e-mail, fax or post.
• Upon receipt of your complaint, the LBA will send you a confirmation of receipt with a reference number.
• If another national complaints and enforcement body is responsible for your case, the LBA will forward your complaint and inform you accordingly.
• The LBA will check the facts of the case and contact you if anything is unclear or information is missing.
• If the investigation reveals a possible violation, the LBA may initiate administrative offense proceedings against the company concerned.
• A fine may be imposed in the event of proven violations.
• You will be informed by the LBA when the procedure has been completed.

You can file a complaint if one of these cases has occurred and you have not been compensated or cared for sufficiently in this connection:

• in the event of the cancellation of the entire flight
• in the event of a departure delay of at least 2 hours or delayed arrival of the flight at the final destination by at least 3 hours
• in the event of denied boarding, i.e. refusal to carry you on the flight you have booked
• in the event of downgrading, i.e. transportation in a lower class of carriage than that booked without having received a corresponding refund
• in the event of upgrading, i.e. transportation in a higher class of carriage than that booked in return for an additional payment

In addition, the following conditions must be met:

• You have already sent a written complaint to the air carrier and there has been no or insufficient response. The air carrier should have sufficient time to process your complaint before you contact the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt.
• The flight date is no longer 2 years ago.
• You agree that your complaint may be used as a witness statement against the air carrier in the context of administrative offense proceedings.

The report can be made by any natural or legal person.

With authorization, the complaint can also be made by proxy.

To avoid additional inquiries and to clarify the facts and provide evidence, you should enclose the following documents with the notification:

• Booking or travel documents
• Correspondence with the airline
• Proof of costs incurred

Documents required in the case of authorization:

• Power of representation

Please refer to the notification form to find out which documents may be required in your case.

There are no costs.

More than 6 months for cases involving legal proceedings.

• Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004
• § Section 58(1)(13) of the German Air Traffic Act (LuftVG)
• § Section 63d of the German Air Traffic Licensing Regulations (LuftVZO)
• § Section 108 (2) of the German Air Traffic Licensing Regulations (LuftVZO)

There is no legal remedy.

There are no indications or special features.

27.05.2024