Lufthansa Re-booking ticket due to medical reasons
Sep 22, 2014, 5:05 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2
Lufthansa Re-booking ticket due to medical reasons
I got severe flu with high degree fever and was unable to take my flight back to USA from Europe. I went to my family doctor and obtained medical certificate confirming my illness. Now, I bought my ticket through travel agent (stupid me) and when I called Lufthansa counter at the airport 3 hour before the flight they said they cannot do anything with my ticket and that everything has to be handled by my travel agent. The only thing lufthansa representative was able to do is to put a note in their system that I called with emergency sickness and that I was unable to resolve the issue with my travel agent due to time difference.
As soon as my travel agent opened in USA, I contacted them explaining the situation and providing them medical certificate from my family doctor. Shortly after my agent replied with copy of lufthansa representative email stating that they cannot accept the paper from my family doctor and only a paper from hospital will be accepted. This is ridiculous. Now I am facing 300$ penalty fee for changing the ticket, plus about 200$ for difference in tickets (no same class availability) plus penalty for NO SHOW (because my travel agent was not open when I called with emergency situation to the lufthansa counter at the airport and lufthansa representatives could not change the ticket themselves).
Any ideas on these "hospital only" paper, is there an actual rule stating that you have to be hospitalized in order for the rebooking fee to be waived? And if you did not get sick enough to hospitalized they will not waive it?
As soon as my travel agent opened in USA, I contacted them explaining the situation and providing them medical certificate from my family doctor. Shortly after my agent replied with copy of lufthansa representative email stating that they cannot accept the paper from my family doctor and only a paper from hospital will be accepted. This is ridiculous. Now I am facing 300$ penalty fee for changing the ticket, plus about 200$ for difference in tickets (no same class availability) plus penalty for NO SHOW (because my travel agent was not open when I called with emergency situation to the lufthansa counter at the airport and lufthansa representatives could not change the ticket themselves).
Any ideas on these "hospital only" paper, is there an actual rule stating that you have to be hospitalized in order for the rebooking fee to be waived? And if you did not get sick enough to hospitalized they will not waive it?
Sep 22, 2014, 5:09 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: GYD
Programs: Azerbaijan Airlines Gold, Turkish Miles and Smiles, IHG Plat
Posts: 663
I got severe flu with high degree fever and was unable to take my flight back to USA from Europe. I went to my family doctor and obtained medical certificate confirming my illness. Now, I bought my ticket through travel agent (stupid me) and when I called Lufthansa counter at the airport 3 hour before the flight they said they cannot do anything with my ticket and that everything has to be handled by my travel agent. The only thing lufthansa representative was able to do is to put a note in their system that I called with emergency sickness and that I was unable to resolve the issue with my travel agent due to time difference.
As soon as my travel agent opened in USA, I contacted them explaining the situation and providing them medical certificate from my family doctor. Shortly after my agent replied with copy of lufthansa representative email stating that they cannot accept the paper from my family doctor and only a paper from hospital will be accepted. This is ridiculous. Now I am facing 300$ penalty fee for changing the ticket, plus about 200$ for difference in tickets (no same class availability) plus penalty for NO SHOW (because my travel agent was not open when I called with emergency situation to the lufthansa counter at the airport and lufthansa representatives could not change the ticket themselves).
Any ideas on these "hospital only" paper, is there an actual rule stating that you have to be hospitalized in order for the rebooking fee to be waived? And if you did not get sick enough to hospitalized they will not waive it?
As soon as my travel agent opened in USA, I contacted them explaining the situation and providing them medical certificate from my family doctor. Shortly after my agent replied with copy of lufthansa representative email stating that they cannot accept the paper from my family doctor and only a paper from hospital will be accepted. This is ridiculous. Now I am facing 300$ penalty fee for changing the ticket, plus about 200$ for difference in tickets (no same class availability) plus penalty for NO SHOW (because my travel agent was not open when I called with emergency situation to the lufthansa counter at the airport and lufthansa representatives could not change the ticket themselves).
Any ideas on these "hospital only" paper, is there an actual rule stating that you have to be hospitalized in order for the rebooking fee to be waived? And if you did not get sick enough to hospitalized they will not waive it?
Sep 22, 2014, 5:40 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,697
Sep 22, 2014, 11:07 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 243
Sep 22, 2014, 10:17 pm
#7
Moderator: Hilton Honors, Practical Travel Safety Issues & San Francisco
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: San Francisco CA
Programs: UA, Hilton, Priceline, AirBnB
Posts: 11,001
Lufthansa's policy is that the TA has to issue the refund.
So is it Lufthansa or the TA who is saying the dr 's note isn't enough? a
If you are based in the US I would call their customer service office in East Meadow NY
1-516-794-2232
and see if you find a sympathetic person and send them the paperwork. They were very helpful to me in the past.
I'm afraid that legally, thought you may be out of luck.
If you are based in the US I would call their customer service office in East Meadow NY
1-516-794-2232
and see if you find a sympathetic person and send them the paperwork. They were very helpful to me in the past.
I'm afraid that legally, thought you may be out of luck.
Sep 23, 2014, 10:41 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Capetown
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG and Hilton Diamond, LH SEN, BA Gold
Posts: 10,163
So is it Lufthansa or the TA who is saying the dr 's note isn't enough? a
If you are based in the US I would call their customer service office in East Meadow NY
1-516-794-2232
and see if you find a sympathetic person and send them the paperwork. They were very helpful to me in the past.
I'm afraid that legally, thought you may be out of luck.
If you are based in the US I would call their customer service office in East Meadow NY
1-516-794-2232
and see if you find a sympathetic person and send them the paperwork. They were very helpful to me in the past.
I'm afraid that legally, thought you may be out of luck.
Sep 23, 2014, 2:18 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,259
If the OP gets away with paying a few hundred bucks that doesn't sound too bad in my book.
Sep 23, 2014, 8:05 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,114
LH should motivate sick people to travel? No thanks...
Sep 23, 2014, 10:32 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
I hope the OP feels better now.
You could and should check the ticket rules. Usually there is a paragraph about death/illness - this is an example:
" C. EMERGENCY PROVISION
-- TICKET MAY BE REFUNDED OR USED TOWARD THE
PURCHASE OF ANOTHER TICKET IF DUE TO ILLNESS
OF PASSENGER OR TRAVELING COMPANION OR DEATH
OF PASSENGER/IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER/
TRAVELING COMPANION. A VALID DEATH OR
HOSPITAL/MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED."
Your TA should be able to provide you with the rules for your ticket. And one word of warning about travel insurance: It makes you feel good to have this kind of insurance, but usually there are severe restrictions and the insurance does not cover what you assume it will cover. So check the fine print. Personally I find travel insurance (especially the short term per trip type) absolutely overpriced for the kind of risks they really cover.
You could and should check the ticket rules. Usually there is a paragraph about death/illness - this is an example:
" C. EMERGENCY PROVISION
-- TICKET MAY BE REFUNDED OR USED TOWARD THE
PURCHASE OF ANOTHER TICKET IF DUE TO ILLNESS
OF PASSENGER OR TRAVELING COMPANION OR DEATH
OF PASSENGER/IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER/
TRAVELING COMPANION. A VALID DEATH OR
HOSPITAL/MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED."
Your TA should be able to provide you with the rules for your ticket. And one word of warning about travel insurance: It makes you feel good to have this kind of insurance, but usually there are severe restrictions and the insurance does not cover what you assume it will cover. So check the fine print. Personally I find travel insurance (especially the short term per trip type) absolutely overpriced for the kind of risks they really cover.
Sep 24, 2014, 1:00 am
#14
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
If the airport ticket office entered a waiver in the booking, the free change should be relatively easy. I don't get why the TA is not able to get the fee waived.