Got denied at check in for LCY to PVG because Lufthansa staff insisted I needed a visa for China and completely dismissed visa free transit. They made a phone call, came back saying I couldn’t travel, and refused to engage any further. Wouldn’t look at official gov.cn policy, wouldn’t check Timatic, nothing.
I had printed my full itinerary showing entry from London and exit to a third country within the 240 hour visa free transit rules. I also had the policy printed. Still no.
What makes this worse is that I went straight to Heathrow, bought a new ticket on a different airline, and boarded without any issue. Same documents, same itinerary. So I know this was valid.
I filed a complaint and got the usual canned response saying it was a documentation issue and the case is closed. I’m now out about £1k because staff didn’t understand the rules and wouldn’t listen.
Is that really it? Has anyone successfully escalated something like this with Lufthansa, or is this just money gone?
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