Information about accessible travel to and from the USA
If you are a passenger with special needs, we can provide you with the support you need to make your trip as seamless as possible. Lufthansa does not refuse travel to people for reasons of handicap.
Please phone us at least 72 hours before your flight on 1-800-645-3880 so we can discuss and plan your additional support requirements. For hearing-impaired passengers in the USA, a relay service is available on 1-866-846-4283 from 08:00 to midnight EST on weekdays and from 08:00 to 22:30 EST at weekends. Please contact our booking staff with any concerns of questions.
Please read the various topics discussed below. If you still have a specific medical question, please contact the Lufthansa Medical Desk on 1-516-296-9580, which is available from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 15:00 EST.
On Lufthansa flights you can either check in your battery-driven mobility aids as baggage or take them with you in the cabin. Battery-driven mobility aids include respirators, CPAP machines (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), portable oxygen concentrators and ventilators. Disabled passengers who use a FAA approved personal respirator/ventilator are permitted to take their equipment (including non-spillable batteries) on board. The battery power must be sufficient for 150% of the maximum flight duration.
Lufthansa permits the carriage of battery-driven mobility aids that use both spillable and non-spillable batteries. The batteries must be clearly marked “SPILLABLE” or “NON-SPILLABLE” so that our staff can deal appropriately with each type of battery. Batteries that show signs of damage or leakage may be refused.
If you cannot inform us in advance, Lufthansa staff will be happy to help you at the airport to store your mobility aids in the aircraft.
If you have a hearing impairment, please contact us before your trip so we can make the necessary arrangements. To contact our relay service for phone calls from the USA please first dial 711 followed by 1-866-846-4283. This service is available from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 24:00 EST and at weekends from 08:00 to 22:30 EST. If you cannot advise us in advance, our Lufthansa staff will be happy to assist you at the airport.
Therapeutic and psychiatric assistance dogs only, no other animals allowed
Therapeutic and psychiatric assistance dogs are also welcome on board Lufthansa flights. Please contact us before your trip so we can make the necessary arrangements. If you cannot advise us in advance, our Lufthansa staff will be happy to assist you at the airport.
Documents required: Documents are required for therapeutic and psychiatric assistance dogs which have been issued by an authorised specialist in the area of mental health and which contain the following information:
- The passenger has an emotional/mental health disability and needs to take an assistance dog with them on board.
- The person issuing this assessment is an authorised specialist in the area of mental health and the passenger is their patient.
- The documents must be less than a year old and must contain the date, the nature of the accreditation of the specialism in mental health and the state or jurisdiction where the documents were issued.
As all our flights are international flights, please check the government website of the country you are travelling to for any additional entry requirements or documents you may need for your dog.
Important note:
Lufthansa accepts therapeutic and psychiatric assistance dogs free of charge only on Lufthansa-operated flights to and from the USA. Restrictions apply to connecting flights outside the USA. On Lufthansa-operated connecting flights outside the USA, therapeutic and psychiatric assistance dogs can only be transported in a container in the cabin (Pet in Cabin) or in the hold for a fee and dependent on size/weight. It may thus be necessary for passengers to complete immigration and customs formalities in Germany in order to collect or check in the dog and/or the dog’s container.
Please note that if you are transferring to a connecting flight outside the USA and your dog cannot be transported as Pet in Cabin, you must present all the necessary immigration and exit documents. In such cases you should plan a connecting time of at least 4 hours.
If you are travelling with an assistance dog, please contact us before your trip so we can make the necessary arrangements. Please note that as a foreign airline, Lufthansa is only obliged to permit dogs on board as assistance dogs. If you cannot advise us in advance, our Lufthansa staff will be happy to assist you at the airport.
We recommend that all assistance dogs wear a harness and are accompanied by some kind of dog-bed etc., so the dog may be as comfortable as possible. On international flights of over 8 hours, we may under certain circumstances require proof that your assistance dog will not have to relieve itself in the cabin or can do so in such a way as to cause no hygiene problem or other risks to other passengers.
Please check the government website of the country you are travelling to for any additional entry requirements or documents you may need for your dog.
In the event of problems during your trip with Lufthansa, please ask our crew members or ground staff if you can speak with a complaint resolution official (CRO).
With their specialist training, our CROs have the sensitivity and knowledge required and are familiar with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations and laws, those of the Department of Transportation, the Air Carrier Access Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. They will be happy to deal with your concerns.
Our CROs are available during operating hours at all our US destinations and at the following locations in Germany: Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf.
If you think that Lufthansa has violated any provision of Section 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 382, you can file an official complaint in accordance with the relevant procedure in Section 14 CFR Part 382.65 via the following channels:
By post:
U.S. Department of Transportation Aviation
Consumer Protection Division/C-75400
7th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20590
1-202-366-2220
Online:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division
US Department of Transportation hotline for people with disabilities:
If you have a time-sensitive issue with the service on your flight in connection with your disability that requires immediate attention, call 1-800-778-4838 (voice call) or 1-800-455-9880 (relay service) for support. This hotline is available between 07:00 and 17:00 EST from Monday to Friday.
You can find further information about the US Department of Transportation on .
Consult the full regulations in Part 382
If you require more detailed information you can download a copy of Part 382. (PDF format; 641 KB)