A German high court has handed consumers a big win, affirming that passengers may skip flight segments when plans change unexpectedly as long as they intended to fly the full ticket at the time of booking. The circumstances surrounding this case, particularly as it involves an overzealous Lufthansa flight attendant, are quite ironic. Several readers have asked me to address this, so here is my take.
In April 2025, the passenger booked a journey from Greece to Saudi Arabia via Germany. Mid-trip, a family emergency forced him to reroute. He flew from Riyadh (RUH) to Frankfurt (FRA), then flew separately to Düsseldorf (DUS) instead of continuing the original ticket to Athens (ATH). Onboard the flight from Saudi Arabia to Frankfurt, a flight attendant apparently learned of his changed plans and reported him to Lufthansa revenue integrity (let’s call her Gladys Kravitz). A few weeks later, he received a bill for €414. Lufthansa claimed he had underpaid based on their fare rules (because the direct flight back to Frankfurt cost more than going to Greece via Frankfurt, a typical nuance of airline ticketing that charges a premium for nonstop flights).
Rather than just pay, he challenged it via his attorney, Dr. Mattias Böse (I’ve written about two Lufthansa lawsuits he has spearheaded in the past, with links below).
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
