Here is a little story of Otto M[.], a Lufthansa Flight Manager, who gets a kick out of inflicting pain and damage on their paying customers.

First of all, we fly a lot on both Business and Economy - we are Chairman's Preferred on US Airways (their highest Elite level). I took 108 flights last year.

My wife and I had the misfortune to have one of our flights booked on Lufthansa (March 6, Flight 1338 FRA-BUD). We arrived at the gate early. That was a mistake. As we were waiting for the boarding to begin, Otto M[.] (who I decided to make famous after the incident, hence the giving of the name) asked for our boarding passes and then pointed to our carry ons (which traveled around the world with us several times - they are standard carry-on size: 55x40x20cm) and told us that we had to check them in. Given that Lufthansa BROKE our checked in luggage on the outbound trip and the carry-ons he pointed to had about $15,000 worth of camera equipment in them, we politely said we could not do that as the equipment in them was too valuable to us to be broken (which would have been guaranteed to happen). He then raised his voice and said that we had 2 options: either we check them in, or we won't fly. I told him that our carry-ons were standard size, and he told me that they were "huge" (no measurements or anything, just opinion), and told me that if he says they are too big, then they are too big, and if we want to fly with them, we will have to check them in. I told that there was no way we would check them in as they would break our equipment. He held up our boarding passes (with all the other passengers standing around, waiting for boarding) and told me (with visible PLEASURE in his eyes) "Are you sure? Because I am canceling your tickets right now. Your tickets are no longer valid. You want me to do it?" I told him to go ahead, because there was no way I would let them break my equipment. So he did cancel our tickets (causing the flight to be delayed, as our checked in luggage had to be removed from the plane - a foot bullet for Lufthansa, since delays are expensive - he wouldn't be bothered. He was on a mission: he had to teach us the lesson that he had POWER.

I was traveling with 7 friends who did get on the flight and they told me the following after we all got home:

- There were dozens of passengers with LARGER carry ons than ours. They were allowed on the flight.
- As people were standing in line to board, my friends noticed FEAR in their eyes - they were trying to hide their carry-ons, and were SCARED that they might be the next to be refused to fly if they didn't check in their valuables. What a nice way to start a flight - Otto M[.] practically terrorized all the passengers.
- The flight was NOT full and there was plenty of room in the overhead bins - my friends saw a bunch of empty seats and ample room in the bins. Of course, the Flight Manager knew that would be the case. That's his job - unless he makes it his mission to terrorize randomly selected passengers and delay the flight in the process.
- The flight left late as a result of Otto M[.]'s unnecessary demonstration of (abuse of) power.

So we went to the Lufthansa customer service counter, where we were told that we would have to pay 200 Euros (about $280) to rebook our flights to another one 8 hours later. I politely argued with the agent telling him that we were DENIED boarding and I wouldn't want to pay a change fee since *I* did not change my flight - I was refused. We talked to everybody all the way up the food chain and they insisted that we had our choice and WE decided not to take that flight and we had to pay or we won't fly. They all seemed to know what happened, but at that time that didn't strike me as odd.

Later I found out WHY all of Lufthansa seemed to know about us and why we had no chance in hell to get the "change fee" waived: my friends told me that after we left, Otto M[.] spent some 20 minutes on the phone calling EVERY Lufthansa ticket counter, check-in counter and service center telling about how "horrible" we were and how we were trying to "sneak onto the flight with our HUGE carry-ons" etc. I.e. he made absolutely sure we would get a very cold reception anywhere we went at the airport. It didn't matter who we talked to, the attitude was the same: rules are the only thing that matters, customers can eat .... or go somewhere else if they didn't like it. Since we were flying home from Hawaii, literally the other side of the globe, we were extremely tired - no one at Lufthansa seemed to care.

Not having any other choice (we DID check with other airlines, but since it was a same day, one way flight we needed, it would have been at least $1,600) we decided we to repack our luggage. We bought a smaller carry-on (EUR 89 - about $125) and re-packed everything that was not that fragile (camera tripods, power adapters, cables, etc.) in a checked in hard suitcase. Having fulfilled the requirements of the Airline of Terror, we checked in again on the flight that we were moved to. Total cost: $405 and 8 hours of delay.

Then we boarded an almost EMPTY flight (about 2/3rd of the seats were empty) and placed our new EUR 89 carry on in an EMPTY overhead bin that could fit about 8 more of the same size, but there were none.

My message to you, Lufhthansa: YOU SUCK. Your rules might be necessary, but customers are, too. If you treat your customers like ...., you ARE ..... The soulless policy-eating empty-headed robots you employ are a disgrace to the industry - qualified for the Airline Hall of Shame. The culture of disservice you instill in them is second to none. I have never seen a company with such lack of care - no trace of any humanity, compassion, desire to help or serve - Lufthansa is a dead machine with no heart and no soul. Believe me, if you don't change your ways, people will vote with their feet and eventually avoid such a sorry excuse for an airline like you are. I used to get better service at so called low-cost, no-frills airlines - Lufthansa showed us a whole new level of "service" - right down in the septic tank. Even more shocking was to see the perverted PLEASURE of Otto M[.] who actually got a kick out of denying us to board the flight when he had no rational reason to do so. If you are reading this, Otto, just know that I actually feel sorry for you - you are a wreck of a human being. You probably can't connect the dots to understand this, but I, and people like me have been paying your wages, but not any more, because I and my friends are spending our money elsewhere from now on. Have a good life.

My conclusion: The rudeness and the perverted pleasure Lufthansa employees are getting from going out of their way to unnecessarily inconvenience and harass those who pay their wages just to "follow the rules" even when they make no sense and hurt THEM and their passengers is legendary. Additionally, Lufthansa is unqualified to provide air transportation to international travelers. Their carry-on allowance (ONLY ONE PIECE, 8kg MAX) is a JOKE - a typical carry-on bag weights 4kg, a laptop and a camera is about 4kg - if you also want to take your passport on board, you are overweight per Lufthansa's standards. Not to mention that on their Inter-Europe flights they board Business Class LAST (huh?) after all the Economy passengers have boarded. Elite members have no privileges on LH either - they board with the rest of the crowd. Summary: worst-of-class service, worst attitude, worst employees.

Last year I spent about $60,000 on airline travel, part of that on Lufthansa (including a trans-atlantic Business Class flight). This year, I will probably spend even more, but Lufthansa won't see a dime of it, as I will NEVER, ever, ever fly Lufthansa again. Not if they paid me to. I will take a train or rent a car and drive if I have no other option, but I will never set foot on a Lufthansa flight again. Lufthansa is the most arrogant and retarded airline on the planet.

Goodbye Lufthansa. Hope others will start to realize what a joke for an airline you are and you will go bankrupt soon so other airlines that understand the meaning of the word SERVICE will take your place.

Not sure if it really worth responding, I'll still do it.

All though you might have had an unfortunate experience, I am pretty sure you are exaggerating. The way you write tells all about it.

I have never heard of a carry on that weighs less then 8 kgs (LH carry-on limit) that is stuffed with tripods, cameras and chargers.

The "Standard American" carry-on is not accepted on European airlines, sorry, check beforehand.

The rules say that you are allowed a 55+40+20cm piece of luggage, plus a computer bag. I travelled a lot with LH in Europe last year and I always had one 55+40+20cm bag with clothes for a week (usually ~11-13kg), plus a computer bag (sometimes quite large due to accessories), weighting ~5-7kg. It was weighted most of the times, when I checked-in. For online check-in, nobody even minded it, and it was never the largest piece of luggage on the flight.

I do not know the difference between the "american standard" and "other standards", but if the OP had indeed a bag as described, it seems like the gate agent was beyond strict.

If the luggage was never measured or weighted, then I would file a written complaint with Lufthansa and ask for compensation. Words of frustration would not help outside this forum, you should keep it strictly factual.

Yeah, right.... With over 100 people working at numerous transfer, service, check-in, ticket and other counters (who magically must have been all not busy and agents working there had absolutely nothing else to do but to pick up the phone and listen to Otto's story), the task of "telling about how "horrible" we were and how we were trying to "sneak onto the flight with our HUGE carry-ons" etc" does seem like a piece of cake for an agent who has to close the flight, and prepare another one during an early afternoon rush hour in FRA.

Ufff, one(two)time posters...

I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle of what the OP describes and "Mr Otto's" side of the story (which we did not get to hear). Some of the claims are frankly ludicrous (e.g. the denied boarding claim) but I must admit that some LH gate agents simply are too strict with hand luggage. I've seen it happen.

Also, good luck avoiding LH if you live in BUD and fly TATL as much as you say. Unless of course you completely change alliances and/or, simply, you are often willing to pay more.

ADDED: On a more practical note, don't they still have those "bins" at the gates for checking whether hand luggage fits?!

It sounds like a case of the FM not liking the passengers, regardless of the weight / size of carry-ons.

If they didn't have a scale and one of those bins you can stuff your bag into, it sounds like the whole thing was out of line.

To the OP: Before people start flaming, could you tell us maybe what kind of bag held the 15k worth of equipment. I assume it's a brand name case if you carry such expensive gear.

P.S.: How much does $15k worth of gear weight?

+1. A model response.

I can only tell you that together with the NEK (the new cabin), it will even get worse for people travelling with hand luggage. LH is really strict to check the size of hand luggage. From my part I can only honor this kind of measures, as overcrowded cabins can't be of any interest, neither the airlines' nor the passenger's. Crowded aircraft cabins with huge trolleys and bags are a safety issue, as the overhead compartments are not built for more than 100kg and deplaning in case of emergency needs longer as bags are maybe even lying between the seats or between the feet of the travelers. Secondly the boarding process needs much more time, as people are running around looking for free space. This enlarges the turnaround times significantly. Thirdly people don`t want to use the space under their own front seat (less comfort) and fill up the bins anywhere in the plane. Later boarding passengers then only have the space between their feet left. Especially in winter when big jackets etc. also have to fit into the bins it's a real pain. All this, because some (quality relating) third world airlines like UA and DL or FR started to charge for checked bags. from my point of view the carry ons should be even more limited. Only expensive goods as cameras or other electronic items and duty free items should be in the hand luggage. I always wonder what people carry around. 55x40x20cm and 8kg are allowed and it's written everywhere. A second bag in C. Even some Mr/mrs Important will have the 5 minutes to wait for their bag at the baggage belt.

Quite big fuzz with a lot of exaggeration and a lot of unnecessary and not to verify statements, like

I understand you are upset but wouldn't have weighing and measuring your carry-on resolved the whole problem. If you reacted at the gate the same way you wrote your post here I somehow can understand the flight manager’s reaction.

Excellent story, thank you!!! ^
One american frequent flyer less using his US Airways Miles on Lufthansa in future! Thank you!!! ^

One noticeable trend in this forum from looking at various posts is a rising displeasure with LH. Although emotional, I do understand the frustration of the OP to staff that take out their problems on customers. We all come across those power trippers.

Oh my god, what a GREAT post.....

I am sure you missed a couple of points:

• Mr. Otto did not only call ALL transfer desks and check in stations in FRA, he actually called ALL staions worldwide just to make sure
• It was not only FEAR in the eyes of other travellers, people were actually writing over their 401k's just to be allowed to set a food on the plane
• Lufthansa's sole purpose is to make flying miserable and they intentially do everything to break every single piece of luggage... If they are running out of time, they make sure to break all expensive pieces of luggage first, just to annoy every single customer

If you want sympathy from anybody here or at Lufthansa, please write down the real story without exaggeration, and maybe you are lucky that soimebody feels for you.

First - I am going to assume that much of what the OP wrote actually happened. However, I am doubtful that Otto M. spent "twenty minutes" calling all and sundry to tell them to be nasty to one specific couple. I have experienced similar behavior on all three of the major European carriers, not on a regular basis, but on an exception basis.

There are some people who naturally are sticklers for the rules - and there are some people who take sadistic pleasure in enforcing rules. I have certainly encountered a few on LH.

One of the challenges of modern airline flying is that when one needs to carry extremely valuable items, there is often very little option. You can check the luggage and risk damage or loss or you cannot bring them with you.

In my own work, I carry equipment which although not nearly as expensive the OP's equipment, is essential to my work. If it is lost in transit, then the entire purpose of the trip is rendered devoid of value, as it is not replaceable except in its country of origin, and then only after some effort. I have had to be very forceful at times to ensure that my equipment comes aboard, even though I do intentionally use a noticeably smaller than European maximum size carry-on, just to avoid any difficulty. I once asked a gate agent to get a tape measure so I could demonstrate that my carry-on was legal. At that point, he acquiesced.

All this said, it is still a rarity in my travels that this happens, and it has happened on every European carrier. American carriers have many problems, but luggage size (at least in business class) doesn't tend to be one of them.

It is rarely wise to abandon a carrier after a single bad incident. If you do, you won't be flying very much. That said, if there is one carrier that I will avoid after many bad incidents, it happens to be the OP's preferred carrrier - US Airways.

The OP sounds like a script for a low budget horror movie.
Indeed, we all know that when you are in another country you have to act like a local. In Germany, you throw out emotion and quote the rules.
Best suggestion was to ask the agent to measure the largest of the bags and compare it to the rule. He'll either balk and let you go or measure it to prove his or your point.
Deal with all LH employees with a straight face and use as few words as possible.
In 15 flights with LH I've found I always get what I seek and have had two problems worked out with ease, both times in FRA as a matter of fact.
QED

That - and the lacking infrastructure - is what can make travelling through the likes of FRA and MUC a pain at times.

You either deal with a complete professional who goes out of his or her way to assist you - basically someone who likes their job and shows it - or you encounter some disgruntled twat who makes two planks of wood look like a supercomputer.

On my last trip via MUC there were some very harsh words said at one of the staff and after boarding I felt sorry for just letting it rip, but then not reacting is probably a worse alternative...

But staying on a positive note, kudos to those who carry out their job with commitment and dignity. And there are loads of great people at both MUC and FRA who deserve utmost praise for their attitude and work ethics.