Email From Lufthansa
Yesterday, I received an email from Lufthansa informing me that my connecting Air India flight from Chennai to Mumbai, scheduled to depart at 7:50 PM, had been canceled. The email asked me to contact their customer care center to either change the flight or cancel the trip for a full refund.
This morning, I called Lufthansa’s customer service and was able to reach a representative quickly after responding to the automated prompts and providing my name and confirmation number. I explained that my Air India flight had been canceled and requested assistance in finding an alternative flight from Chennai to Mumbai. Since I had purchased my ticket through Lufthansa’s website, I assumed it was their responsibility to arrange an alternative option.
Call center
However, the representative advised me to contact Air India directly to find another flight. Trusting his guidance, I attempted to reach Air India, but after multiple calls, I was unable to speak to a live person. Instead, the automated system stated it would send me a text and then disconnected the call. This was a frustrating experience with Air India’s customer service.
Left with no other choice, I called Lufthansa again and explained the situation once more. I reiterated that I needed an alternative flight from Chennai to Mumbai on June 20th in order to catch my early morning flight to Frankfurt on June 21st.
He presented me with two options.
- He offered a Lufthansa flight departing from Chennai on June 20th at 1:30 AM. However, since my flight from Delhi was scheduled to land around 11:30 PM, I told him it would be difficult to make an international connection after security and immigration.
- He suggested taking an Air India flight from Chennai on June 21st at 11:40 AM, arriving in Mumbai at 2:05 PM, and then taking a Lufthansa flight on June 22nd at 2:40 PM. This would mean an extra day in Chennai and a long layover in Mumbai. I wasn’t happy with this option either.
He was unwilling to explore other possibilities and simply stated, “These are the only two options Lufthansa can offer.” I found his response impolite. I told him I would think about it and call back later.
Feeling nervous about spending an extra day in Chennai and enduring a 12-hour airport layover, I considered canceling my trip, as Lufthansa had offered a full refund. I checked their website to explore alternative options. After some time, I decided to call one more time—if Lufthansa didn’t assist me, I would cancel and rebook.
When I called again after 30 minutes, I was quickly connected to another representative, who was incredibly helpful and patient. He listened to my concerns and took the time to explore more options. He proposed:
- The same initial option—taking the Lufthansa flight from Chennai on June 20th at 1:30 AM. I explained again that my Delhi flight would arrive at 11:30 PM, making this option impractical. He understood immediately.
- He then suggested a much better alternative: taking an Air India flight from Chennai on June 20th at 11:40 AM, arriving in Mumbai, then boarding a Lufthansa flight on June 21st at 1:30 AM to Munich, and finally connecting to a flight to San Francisco. While this still involved a long layover in Mumbai, it was a far better option. I accepted it.
Everything was resolved smoothly, thanks to this third representative. The lesson I learned: Never give up—keep calling until you get the right solution. In this case, I firmly believe it was Lufthansa’s responsibility to assist me since the cancellation was not my fault. The first two customer service agents seemed unwilling to make the effort, and I particularly disliked the second agent’s dismissive attitude.
A big thanks to the third representative, who was friendly, patient, and genuinely helpful!