[tomw]

Lufthansa has NO customer service. This is not a judgment, it is a fact.

They have customers and they have procedures. This works when things go as planned. But when things do not go as planned, companies rely upon customer service. Lufthansa does not. They do ont rely upon customer service because in the face of crisis or a breakdown in the system they do not deviate from their normal operating procedures. For this reason Lufthansa has designed a system to keep customers out of the way. They have built an impenetrable wall to keep customers out.

Lufthansa has no phone contact for customer service. NONE, NADA, NICHT, The only way to communicate with Lufthansa when things go wrong is by fax - and they charge you for that. The card we received says the charge to fax Lufthansa is 0,12 Euros per minute. This may seem odd, but it is only odd if you are concerned about customer service. And Lufthansa is not.

They really do not have customer service.

Customer service fills the void between customers and procedures. Lufthansa is in denial. For them: things go right and they follow normal operating procedures: or things go wrong, and they follow normal operating procedures. Nothing changes. That is why they don't need customer service. In their world customers merely get in the way of normal operating procedures. And when things go wrong Lufthansa's answer is to bear down and focus more on normal operating procedures. The need for this intensified focus is only distracted by customers, so they designed a system to keep customers out of their way. Hence, the Lufthansa impenetrable wall of no communication, no service and no concern - that is their business model.

After my last canceled flight where my family and I were stranded in Munich. Not delayed, abandoned. Left to fend for ourselves, to get to our final destination (Stuttgart) after our international flight into Munich. For 18 months I faxed and wrote letters, including international letters directly to the CEO of Lufthansa. After 32 letters and 16 faxes I gave up. Never got a response from anyone. Not one. Not a call. Not a letter. Not a fax. Not an email. Six of the letters were to executives in Koln.

Lufthansa simply does not care. They have not only have a total disregard for passengers, they have disdain.

Avoid Lufthansa - it is the mantra of the sane. Pass the word...