Almost 200,000 passengers of Air Berlin lost flights and will not be refunded following the German carrier’s failure.
Air Berlin went into administration in August and confirmed this week it will cease flying on October 28 as Lufthansa announced a €200 million deal to acquire 81 of the carrier’s aircraft.
Up to 100,000 Air Berlin passengers with long-haul bookings will lose out when the carrier ceases long-haul flights on October 15.
Another 100,000 passengers booked to fly short-haul after October 28 will also lose out.
But there will be no compensation for those who booked before Air Berlin went into insolvency on August 15 after leading shareholder Etihad withdrew support.
Lufthansa confirmed it will buy more than half the Air Berlin fleet this week. The carrier was already leasing 38 Air Berlin aircraft.
Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa chief executive, said he expects regulatory approval by the end of the year.
Lufthansa will take on about 3,000 of Air Berlin’s 8,000-strong workforce. It is expected to use the aircraft and crew to expand its budget subsidiary Eurowings.
However, easyJet’s attempt to acquire part of Air Berlin’s remaining fleet and routes appears in jeopardy after the UK carrier reportedly cut its offer price.
Air Berlin continued flying from mid-August with the aid of €150-million emergency loan from the German government.
Ryanair confirmed it would file a complaint to the European Commission over Lufthansa’s takeover.