An Indian passenger recently shared a troubling account of their experience with Lufthansa while traveling from the United States to India.
The journey was derailed by a lack of coordination between the airline’s customer care and airport staff, resulting in denied boarding and a significant financial loss.
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The passenger had confirmed multiple times with Lufthansa’s customer care that they could transit through Germany without a transit visa, as long as their US visa was expired but had already been used and they were returning from the issuing country.
This policy was also clearly stated on Lufthansa’s website. Confident in this information, the traveler booked their tickets nearly nine months in advance.
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However, at the airport check-in counter, the staff rejected this assurance, claiming that expired US visas are only accepted if they expired within the last 24 hours.
Despite the passenger’s request, the check-in staff refused to contact customer care for clarification and offered no alternative solution. The result was a loss of over $1700 for two travelers, with the only explanation being a vague apology for not informing them of the 24-hour rule earlier.
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The passenger emphasized that had Lufthansa’s customer care given accurate and consistent information, they would have applied for a transit visa in time. The ordeal left them feeling misled and financially burdened by an airline they once trusted.
They cautioned other travelers, especially Indian citizens with expired US visas and valid I797 or I94 documents, to avoid transiting through Germany with Lufthansa.
Thus, clear communication and uniform enforcement of travel policies are essential to prevent such distressing incidents.
