On February 19, 2025, Lufthansa's ground support at New Delhi Airport failed a passenger traveling on Flight LH 763 from New Delhi to Vancouver, with layovers in Munich and Frankfurt. The traveler, Ms. S** G****,** was left stranded due to lack of on-ground Lufthansa assistance, non-functional phone support, and ineffective chatbot-driven customer service.

Despite Lufthansa’s global reputation, this incident reveals a serious lapse in customer service in India. The airline’s staff provided conflicting information about transit visa requirements, failed to offer real-time support, and ultimately, forced the passenger to abandon her journey due to a flawed rebooking process.

This report, based on real-life events and documented evidence, highlights Lufthansa’s unacceptable treatment of its passengers in India. I was in touch with the passenger during the ordeal at New Delhi airport.

Lufthansa's Customer Support in India: A Non-Existent Service

Lufthansa enjoys a strong reputation in Europe and North America, but this case exposes a different reality in India.

The airline's support counter at New Delhi Airport was closed when it was most needed.
None of the Lufthansa phone support numbers were answered, leaving the passenger with no direct assistance.
Passengers were directed to use Lufthansa’s chatbot-based chat support, which proved to be ineffective and unreliable.
For an airline that markets itself as a premium European carrier, such negligence is shocking.

The Start of the Ordeal: A Boarding Denied Over Visa Confusion

1. Initial Boarding Attempt

On February 18, 2025, as boarding was announced for Flight LH 763 (New Delhi – Munich – Frankfurt – Vancouver), Ms. S**** G**** approached the Lufthansa counter.
The ground staff offered her €700 compensation and a hotel stay in New Delhi if she voluntarily took the next flight because the flight was overbooked. She declined, insisting on taking her original flight.
The staff then began the check-in process but, after a few minutes, informed her that she needed an airport transit visa for Munich.

2. Conflicting Information on Visa Requirements

Ms. S**** G**** explained that she held valid US and Canadian visas, which usually exempt travelers from needing a transit visa in Germany.
The ground staff abruptly changed their stance, stating that since she had an additional internal Schengen flight from Munich to Frankfurt, she now required a Schengen visa.
Lufthansa’s own website did not clearly outline this requirement, leaving the passenger in a state of confusion.

3. No Help from Ground Staff and Phone Support

Lufthansa’s ground staff refused to help her rebook her flight at the airport.
The Lufthansa support desk was closed, and all Indian phone support numbers went unanswered.
The passenger was forced to rely on Lufthansa's chatbot-powered chat support, which further complicated the situation.

Chat Support Disaster: Lufthansa’s AI Bot Fails to Assist

4. First Attempt at Rebooking

Upon contacting Lufthansa via chat support, the passenger was connected to a human agent after several minutes.
The agent offered a rebooking to an alternate route via Frankfurt, with a charge of CAD 150 (rebooking fee) + CAD 1200 (fare difference).
Unwilling to pay the extra charges, the passenger asked for cost reductions.

5. A Last-Minute Alternative Flight

With only two hours left for Flight LH 763’s departure, the passenger had no hope of making her original flight.
She reconnected with Lufthansa chat support, which now offered her a rebooking for CAD 150 + CAD 1 in fare difference—a drastic price drop.
A Lufthansa agent called her directly to process the payment, and she received an official email confirming her new ticket.
At this point, the passenger believed the problem was resolved and prepared to take the next flight.

The Rebooked Flight Vanishes from Lufthansa's System

6. Lufthansa Invalidates Its Own Ticket

22 hours before the new flight, the passenger attempted to check in online—but the Lufthansa system showed errors.
Concerned, she contacted Lufthansa’s chat support again, and an agent assured her that the ticket was still processing and would be confirmed within 30 minutes.
Thirty minutes later, the ticket was still missing.
A new agent now claimed that the ticket was never processed, contradicting the previous confirmation email.

7. Lufthansa’s Inexplicable Price Increase

The passenger reconnected with chat support, where an agent told her that she had to rebook again—this time at CAD 150 + CAD 1000 fare difference.
When she asked why her previously confirmed ticket was invalid, the agent abruptly ended the chat.
This was outright fraud—Lufthansa had confirmed the ticket, failed to process it, and then attempted to charge her significantly more.

Abandoning Lufthansa: The Passenger's Final Decision

8. No Resolution, No Support, No Accountability

The passenger, exhausted and abandoned, tried calling Lufthansa's Indian support numbers again—but no one answered.
With no alternative options from Lufthansa, she decided to return home to Punjab, purchasing a new Air India ticket from New Delhi to Chandigarh.
The next day, she booked a completely new flight on KLM via Amsterdam to Vancouver for February 27, 2025.
This entire ordeal could have been avoided if Lufthansa had:

✅ Trained its ground staff properly on visa requirements.
✅ Offered real-time support at the airport counter.
✅ Provided reliable customer service, rather than relying solely on chatbots.
✅ Ensured that rebooked tickets were actually processed and honored.

Lufthansa’s Reputation in India: A Major Concern

Lufthansa enjoys a strong reputation in Europe and North America, but its Indian operations have serious flaws.

Customer support is practically non-existent in India, as seen in this case where no phone calls were answered.
The airline relies too heavily on chatbots, which fail to address real concerns.
Ground staff at New Delhi Airport are unhelpful, uninformed, and unwilling to assist in urgent situations.
For an airline that markets itself as a premium carrier, this level of negligence is unacceptable.

Conclusion: Lufthansa’s Support System Needs Immediate Reform

This real-life incident exposes Lufthansa’s major failings in India. The airline:

❌ Provided misleading and conflicting information on transit visas.
❌ Did not offer human assistance at the airport when it was most needed.
❌ Had non-responsive phone support, leaving passengers stranded.
❌ Relied on ineffective chatbots that wasted valuable time.
❌ Confirmed a rebooking, only to invalidate it and demand more money later.

For any airline that values customer service and operational efficiency, such failures are unacceptable. Lufthansa must reassess its approach to Indian customer service, improve its ground support, and ensure that rebooked tickets are processed reliably.

Until then, Indian travelers should reconsider flying with Lufthansa, as they cannot depend on the airline for proper support in emergencies.

⚠ Final Verdict: Lufthansa's ground support in India is effectively non-existent, and this incident should serve as a warning to all passengers relying on the airline for customer service.

TopNews Disclaimer and Editor's Note

TopNews Editorial Team has published this story to highlight customer harassment by German carrier Lufthansa. In Europe, the local airlines offer very good treatment to their passengers as laws are very strict in Europe but in Asia and especially in India, they ignore customer rights. In India, customers have strong rights but as many passengers are not completely aware of their rights, airlines escape their responsibility. The views expressed are of the author. The author Gurpeet Bal is a regular member of TopNews team and the incident happened with his relative. He was in continuous touch with the passenger and has decided to share the story on our platform. We stand by the facts being presented in this story. The information regarding the passenger, ticket details, rebooked ticket details have been verified by the editor before publication of this story. Our aim is to highlight the plight of some passengers who can't exercise their rights. The passenger has decided to consult her lawyers in Vancouver to proceed with the case of negligence and causing mental stress to the passenger. We will also update this story as it develops.

Whenever we receive a response from Lufthansa officials, this story will be updated.