Special Conditions of Carriage of Deutsche Lufthansa AG for the Lufthansa Express Bus (CC Bus)

Frankfurt, October 2024

Publisher: Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft

1. Scope of application and validity of Lufthansa Express Buses

The carriage of passengers and baggage on the scheduled services of Lufthansa Express Buses is governed by the General Conditions of Carriage in accordance with the German Regulation on the General Conditions of Carriage for Tram and Bus Services and Scheduled Services by Motor Vehicles (Verordnung über die Allgemeinen Beförderungsbedingungen für Strassenbahn- und Omnibusverkehr sowie den Linienverkehr mit Kraftfahrzeugen – BefBedV). These Special Conditions of Carriage (CC Bus) apply in addition and may differ from these.

The sole contractual partner of the passenger is Deutsche Lufthansa AG (carrier). Journeys are operated by cooperation partners (subcontractors) of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

The terms “flight”, “aircraft” or “air travel” only refer to flights booked with Deutsche Lufthansa AG or a company of the Lufthansa Group, or flights operated by one of these companies.

2. Tickets and payment

Passengers are only entitled to carriage if a valid booking (electronic ticket or etix) has been issued in the passenger’s name and for a specific route at a specific time.

Please note that you must bring with you a readable printout of your boarding pass or an electronic version on a mobile device as evidence of your booking (ticket). You must also be able to show proof of your identity. Your boarding pass is valid as a ticket for the Lufthansa Express Bus in conjunction with a valid ID.

2.1. Carriage must be booked and paid for on lufthansa.com or at a travel agency before commencement of travel. You cannot pay the fare on the bus. The contract comes into effect with electronic confirmation of the booking.

2.2. Your ticket is not transferable. However, if the ticket is presented by someone other than the person entitled to carriage or a refund, the carrier is not liable to the person entitled to carriage or a refund if it has operated the carriage in good faith or has granted a refund.

3. Validity, rebooking and refunds

3.1. Notwithstanding provisions to the contrary on the ticket, in these terms and conditions or in the applicable fares, a ticket is valid for one year, calculated from the date of booking.

3.2. If carriage by bus is not booked in connection with a flight, carriage may be rebooked within this period subject to a fee of EUR 20.00 or refunded if the journeys are unused.

3.3. With group bookings (10 passengers or more), the carrier reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee for cancellations made at short notice up to three days before departure. Fees are 50% of the fare for cancellation less than 48 hours before departure and 100% of the fare for cancellation on the day of travel. The passenger has the right to prove that the carrier’s loss is less than this amount.

3.4. If carriage by bus is booked in connection with a flight, bus carriage is governed by the terms and conditions for rebookings and refunds that apply to the flight booking and the General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage (GCC Passage).

4. Timetables, booking seats and restrictions on carriage

4.1. Insignificant timetable changes that become effective after conclusion of the contract and were not caused by the carrier contrary to good faith do not entitle the passenger to claim compensation. Insignificant changes are classified as those of up to 120 minutes. A significant timetable change entitles the passenger to withdraw from the bus carriage contract.

4.2. The passenger must arrive at the bus stop or the check-in location specified by the carrier in good time, i.e. no later than the time specified by the carrier, or no later than 15 minutes before departure if no time is specified.

4.3. The carrier may refuse carriage if the passenger does not arrive in good time, cannot prove their booking or is unable to present a valid ID. It is not liable to the passenger for losses or expenses caused by the passenger’s failure to comply with these provisions.

5. Duties of passengers

5.1. Passengers are responsible for informing themselves about any entry requirements/conditions of travel and for carrying the documents and identification required with them. Carriage may be refused in the event of non-compliance. Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for return or onward carriage if documents are missing.

5.2. Passengers should remain in their seats and not move around during the journey for their own safety. Passengers must fasten their seat belts where seat belts are provided.

5.3 Passengers must follow the instructions of the bus crew relating to travel operations at all times. Bus crew and check-in staff are authorised to refuse carriage to persons who are visibly intoxicated with alcohol or under the influence of other drugs. The same applies to customers who otherwise put the safety of other customers at risk or have a significantly negative effect on the wellbeing of other customers. There is no entitlement to alternative transport in this case.

5.3. Smoking is not permitted on the bus. Food and drinks may only be carried on board providing these do not inconvenience other passengers and do not soil or damage the bus.

5.4. The carrier is entitled to demand customers who wilfully or negligently cause soiling to the bus pay a cleaning fee of EUR 50.00, unless the customer can prove that no damage was caused or that any damage was significantly less. If cleaning is demonstrably more expensive, the carrier can demand greater compensation for the damage.

5.5. Sections 3 and 4 BefBedV remain unaffected.

6. Carriage of children

The carriage of unaccompanied children under 12 years of age is excluded. Without an accompanying parent, children under 12 years of age may only travel when accompanied by someone of at least 18 years of age. Lufthansa does not undertake any supervision of unaccompanied minors.

7. Carriage of people with disabilities or reduced mobility

7.1. You can find assistance for booking a Lufthansa flight or a journey by Lufthansa Express Bus at: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/barrierefrei-reisen

If assistance is requested at the time of booking, any confirmation or refusal of assistance applies to both the flight segment and the bus segment. You are advised that assistance can only be provided at the airport for the bus route.

Please note that travellers with reduced mobility must board and disembark from the bus and get to their seat independently, with the drivers’ assistance. Wheelchairs can only be transported if they can be folded and stowed in the hold.

7.2.
Frankfurt Airport:
Assistance services for passengers with reduced mobility are provided by FraCareServices at Frankfurt Airport free of charge. This service must be booked via your airline or travel agency at least 48 hours before departure. You cannot book directly with FraCareServices. These services are described in the following link: https://www.fracareservices.com/deutsch/ihre-reise/unsere-leistungen/The link will be opened in a new browser tab

If you are travelling to Frankfurt Airport by Lufthansa Express Bus, please contact the assistance service FraCareServices approximately 30 minutes before the arrival of the bus and let them know the precise time of arrival of the bus at the airport. This is the only way to ensure that the assistance service is also standing by when the bus arrives. Our bus drivers will give you the direct telephone number for FRACares before the bus departs.

Munich Airport: Assistance services are provided for passengers with reduced mobility by the Mobility Service at Munich Airport free of charge. This service must be booked via your airline or travel agency at least 48 hours before departure. You cannot book directly with the Mobility Service. These services are described in the following link: https://www.munich-airport.de/barrierefreies-reisen-89780The link will be opened in a new browser tab

If you are travelling to Munich Airport by Lufthansa Express Bus, our bus company will contact the Mobility Service approximately 30 minutes before the bus arrives in Munich to let them know the precise arrival time of the bus at the airport. This way we aim to ensure that the assistance service is also standing by when the bus arrives.

7.3. Please note that arrival/departure from/to the airport is by bus. It is not always possible to provide safe and operationally feasible assistance to someone with reduced mobility when boarding, disembarking from and during carriage in the bus due to the construction type of the vehicles and the infrastructure provided. Travellers must therefore be able to board and disembark from the bus and get to their seat unaided. Wheelchairs can only be transported if they can be folded and stowed in the hold.

Munich: Passengers who cannot walk and climb stairs unaided, and who must therefore be carried seated in their wheelchair (WCHC passengers), must book assistance for their flight from Munich at least 48 hours before commencement of travel. We can provide carriage for the bus journey to Munich and back in cooperation with our bus company. Please provide your contact details in the booking so Lufthansa and/or our bus company can contact you to discuss possible carriage (space/assistance requirements).

8. Carriage of baggage

8.1. Every passenger is permitted to carry one bag weighing a maximum of 23 kg and one bag as carry-on baggage weighing a maximum of 8 kg. Carry-on baggage must fit in the luggage rack above the seats and must not exceed a maximum size of 50 x 30 x 20 cm.

8.2. Personal documents, medicines, valuables, mobile phones and laptops should be carried in the passenger compartment. In addition to one item of carry-on baggage, passengers may also carry on board one additional bag (max. 30 x 40 x 10 cm, e.g. a handbag or laptop bag), one baby carrier or car seat or one folding pram / pushchair per accompanying child, and wheelchairs / mobility aids (cf. point 7.3.).

8.3. Bags or larger items such as prams / pushchairs or wheelchairs / larger mobility aids are not permitted in the passenger compartment, but must be loaded in the baggage hold. Items must be packed is such a way as to protect them from soiling or damage.

8.4. Where carriage by bus is used for the purposes of connecting with, departing from or continuing a journey by air, the baggage regulations for the booked flight concerned also apply to the bus carriage. There is an exception for carry-on baggage (cf. point 8.1.).

8.5. Additional bags, excess baggage, special or bulky bags can only be carried if bus carriage was booked in connection with a flight and the baggage was registered for carriage for the flight and confirmed by the airline. Prices for excess baggage will be calculated at the baggage drop at the airport. You will find a summary of the current excess baggage prices at http://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/uebergepaeck.

8.6. Baggage that does not meet the conditions laid down in the Conditions of Carriage or the safety requirements under § 11 BefBedV may be excluded from carriage.

9. Carriage of animals

9.1. You have the option of bringing a recognised assistance dog with you free of charge. Please let us know in good time if you are travelling with an assistance dog, and no later than 48 hours before commencement of travel.

https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/assistenzhunde

9.2. If carriage by bus is used for the purposes of connecting with, departing from or continuing a journey by air, and a so-called “Pet in Cabin” has been booked and confirmed by the airline, you may carry a dog or cat in a container (maximum dimensions: 55 x 40 x 23 cm, waterproof and bite-proof) inside the cabin (max. weight of animal + container: eight kilograms). The confirmation must be presented to the driver before commencement of the journey. Larger or heavier animals or containers cannot be carried either in the passenger compartment or baggage hold.

https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/reisen-mit-tieren

9.3. Assistance dogs and containers for carrying animals must fit in front of your seat (in the footwell of your seat) and remain there throughout the journey.

Assistance dogs must be kept on a lead and sit or lie on the ground in front of your seat. We advise securing the dog with a harness and not a collar. Under no circumstances will the dog be transported on a seat.

Your pet must be trained to behave well in a public space to ensure the safe and undisturbed operation of the journey. We therefore only permit the carriage of animals on the condition that your animal will obey you and behave appropriately (e.g. no barking, growling or leaping at people or other animals, and/or that the animal must not relieve itself or defecate inside the bus). If your pet does not behave appropriately, you may be required to muzzle it for transport or carriage may be refused.

9.4. With cross-border journeys, please note that special entry regulations apply to animals in some countries. You must inform yourself about these in advance, and you are responsible for compliance with them.

10. Liability and limitations of liability

10.1. Under no circumstances will our liability exceed the amount of proven damage. We are only liable for indirect or consequential damage if it has been caused through gross negligence or in a wilful manner. No liability is assumed for service disruptions due to force majeure or unforeseeable or uncontrollable circumstances, such as war or warlike operations, hostilities, insurrection or civil war, seizure or obstruction by government bodies or other persons, street blockades, quarantine measures, and strikes, lockouts or work stoppages for which the carrier is not accountable.

The carrier is liable for damage resulting from injury to the life, body or health of a passenger in accordance with the statutory provisions, in particular in accordance with the provisions of the Passenger Transport Act (Personenbeförderungsgesetzes – PBefG) and Regulation (EC) No. 181/2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport. Liability lies with the relevant operating bus company as carrier.

10.2. The carrier is liable for 

  • damage to baggage up to a maximum of EUR 1,200.00 per bag per claim, and
  • damage to items that are not baggage up to a sum of EUR 1,000.00 per passenger, and
  • damage to wheelchairs and other mobility aids or assistive devices up to the replacement value or repair cost of the lost or damaged equipment, 

unless the damage is attributable to the wilful intent or gross negligence of the carrier or its agents.

10.3. Variations from the timetable due to traffic obstructions, operational disruptions or interruptions do not justify any claims for compensation.

10.4. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions in timetables or other published service times, and for information provided by the carrier’s agents, employees or authorised representatives.

10.5. In all other respects, contractual liability is limited to three times the fare for the bus carriage irrespective of the legal basis. Liability for indirect or consequential losses is excluded.

10.6. Costs of alternative transportation, for example in the event of significant delay or cancellation, will only be reimbursed if the least expensive alternative carriage was chosen within reasonable limits. 

10.7. Bags must be inspected for damage immediately after their return or removal from the baggage hold. If any damage is discovered, it must be reported to the bus crew immediately. Subsequent reports in writing must be submitted within seven days of the end of the bus journey. If you submit a subsequent report, you must provide evidence that the incident occurred during the bus carriage.

10.8. No liability is assumed for loss or damage to fragile or perishable items, valuables or identity documents contained in the passenger’s checked baggage.

10.9. If a passenger’s items (in their baggage) cause damage to another passenger’s baggage or the carrier’s property, the passenger must compensate the carrier for any losses and expenses it incurs as a result.

10.10. No liability is assumed for items left behind in the bus.

10.11. If the carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with a hotel room, the total accommodation costs are limited to EUR 80.00 per passenger per night up to a maximum of two nights.