Lufthansa gives full refund in case of Visa Reject

Visa rejection itself is a disappointment after paying 11-12k in Visa fees and tons of documents. Losing another 40-70k in ticket money for no fault of ours is an even bigger loss. Lufthansa’s policy needs to be appreciated in this matter.

This is the story of a friend, who had applied for a Schengen visa but the visa got rejected. He had already booked an India-Europe ticket on Lufthansa costing over 40k, the cheapest, non refundable ticket but due to visa rejection he was about to lose all the money.

However, having a word with customer care, he learnt that he can apply for a refund. While Lufthansa is not legally required to refund non-refundable tickets for customers whose visa is rejected, they do so as an act of goodwill. Refer Lufthansa policy documentation here.

After sending an email along with a visa rejection letter copy, he got a refund in about 15 days.

This is good news and useful information. If you spot a cheap ticket but fear not getting a visa, you can book without fear on Lufthansa or Swiss Air. Indeed a good gesture by Lufthansa. Lufthansa could have pocketed 40k but would have lost trust of a customer, his friends & family and would have lost future business. Now my friend will book Lufthansa with preference next time.

Here is a link to Lufthansa policy which permits refunds in case of visa rejection. 

Not very sure if other airlines like Air France KLM or middle east carriers like Qatar, Emirates or Etihad do the same-I couldn’t find anything assuring on their websites.  Are you aware of any other airlines giving full refund if visa is rejected?

My travel on Lufthansa and SwissAir to Europe and back was fine. Flights were on time (almost) and service was standard. I will write separate posts about my travel experience.

If airline refuses to refund, your options are usually limited

• You can try to get the tickets rescheduled to a future date and apply for a fresh visa or appeal

• If the airline makes some changes to your schedule or cancels some of the flights, you may be eligible for refund- hope it happens

Lufthansa Premium Economy Experience * Lufthansa India complicated ticket booking experience * Schengen Visa 2023 application process *