Lufthansa review: A highly distressing, unprofessional, and unacceptable experience I endured while travelling with lufthansa

Dear Lufthansa Customer Relations Team,

I am writing to formally complain about a highly distressing, unprofessional, and unacceptable experience I endured while travelling with Lufthansa on an emergency journey to Egypt to attend my sister-in-law’s funeral.

Booking Details

I booked a last-minute Lufthansa return ticket online through a UK-based travel agency, PCM Travels (Hemel Hempstead, London), via their website www.travelmakers.co.uk / Travel Save.co.uk. They sent me a confirmation email with the following information :
• Original E-ticket number: [protected]
• Airline(Lufthansa) booking reference: CNZOP8

Using this reference, I successfully retrieved my booking on Lufthansa’s official website, downloaded my boarding passes, and received confirmation emails stating that boarding passes had been issued.

Flight Itinerary
• 31 December:
• LH949 – Manchester to Frankfurt
• LH582 – Frankfurt to Cairo
• Return (original booking):
• 4 January: LH583 – Cairo to Frankfurt
• 4 January: LH9484 – Frankfurt to Manchester

I checked in normally at Manchester Airport, printed my luggage tags using Lufthansa’s system, handed over my baggage at the check-in desk without any issue, and boarded the Manchester–Frankfurt flight without difficulty.

Incident at Frankfurt Airport

Upon arrival in Frankfurt and while waiting to board my connecting flight to Cairo, my name was called over the boarding announcements. I was then shocked and deeply distressed to be informed by a Lufthansa staff member at the gate that:
• My ticket was allegedly “a scam”
• The travel agent was fraudulent
• I was not allowed to board my connecting flight to Cairo

This accusation was made despite the fact that:
• Lufthansa’s own website had validated my booking
• Boarding passes were issued
• I had already completed the first sector of the journey on Lufthansa
• My luggage had been accepted and checked in by Lufthansa staff in Manchester

I explained repeatedly that:
• I had paid the full fare
• I had a valid Lufthansa booking reference
• If there was any issue, it was an administrative matter between Lufthansa and the travel agent, for which I should not be punished

I also made it very clear that this was an urgent humanitarian trip to attend a funeral.

Nevertheless, I was told bluntly that unless I bought a new ticket immediately, I would miss the flight and the funeral.

Forced Purchase of a Second Ticket

I was given no reasonable assistance, no alternative solution, and no meaningful time to react. Instead, I was instructed to run to another floor to the customer service desk to purchase a new ticket, while the aircraft was due to depart within approximately 30 minutes. I then had to go again through security and passport control.

Under extreme emotional pressure, fearing I would miss the funeral, I was forced to purchase a new one-way ticket for approximately €1300, despite already paying £775 for the original ticket.
• New E-ticket number: 220-[protected]
• New booking reference: BG7BUK

Physical Injury and Medical Consequences

Due to running long distances under severe stress and time pressure, I sustained a significant muscle injury to my right calf. I arrived in Egypt in a state of severe psychological distress and physical pain.

The injury:
• Prevented me from moving normally
• Forced me to attend the funeral while limping and in pain
• Required medical assessment in Egypt, including:
• Hospital consultation
• Doppler ultrasound to exclude deep vein thrombosis
• MRI scan confirming muscle injury and trauma

I personally paid for all these medical and imaging expenses.
The injury significantly affected my entire stay and continues to cause pain to this day. On my return journey, I required special assistance due to difficulty walking.

Additional Financial Losses

Further unacceptable consequences included:
• The replacement ticket could only be booked with a return on Monday instead of Sunday, resulting in:
• Loss of one full working day’s pay
• Upon arrival back in Manchester, I had to pay an additional £61 in airport car park charges due to the delayed return

Summary

This entire experience was:
• Psychologically traumatic
• Physically injurious
• Financially damaging
• Completely inconsistent with Lufthansa’s duty of care and professional standards

Formal Request

I formally request:
1. A full written explanation of how Lufthansa allowed me to:
• Board the first flight
• Check in luggage
• Receive boarding passes
• Then be denied boarding mid-journey
2. Full reimbursement of:
• The second ticket cost
• Medical and imaging expenses
• Loss of earnings
• Additional airport parking charges
3. Appropriate compensation for the severe psychological distress and physical injury caused

I have retained all supporting documents, including tickets, receipts, medical reports, and email correspondence, and will provide them upon request.

I expect this complaint to be treated with the seriousness it deserves and look forward to your formal response.

Yours sincerely,
*Dr. Mohamed Abdel Latif El-Ghazawy