A nightmare in Frankfurt: Why I won’t be flying Lufthansa again, By Gimba Kakanda

What is most disturbing is that the entire response of the airline appeared like a grand scam, designed to frustrate any attempt at recovering lost items. Based on the words of their own customer care representatives, it seemed that lost and forgotten items were treated as perks of working for the airline. This is corruption in the most primitive and lexical sense of the word.

On a sultry afternoon on 3 October, I boarded Lufthansa flight LH0401 from JFK Airport in New York to Frankfurt Airport, eager to return to Nigeria and unaware of the nightmare that lay ahead. After disembarking in Frankfurt for a five-hour layover, I quickly realised I had left my wallet in the cabin. The wallet contained all my cash, debit cards, identification cards, sensitive personal and official documents, and other valuable items.

Upon discovering this, barely a minute after leaving the plane, I immediately rushed to the Lufthansa staff at the terminal exit to report that I had left my wallet, emphasising the critical nature of the items inside. However, despite my explanation and the urgency of the situation, I was denied the opportunity to return to the aircraft to retrieve my belongings or have the wallet retrieved. While I respect the aviation protocols that prevent passengers from returning to the aircraft, what I found utterly disheartening was the dehumanising and undignified manner in which Lufthansa’s customer care treated me. The staff dismissed my urgent plight as though it were a minor inconvenience, showing no empathy or understanding.

I followed all the proper procedures as instructed by the airline, filling out the “lost” items form, even though I knew my wallet wasn’t lost, and even reported the matter to the police at Frankfurt Airport. I patiently waited, hoping for a positive outcome. Two German police women accompanied me to the Lost and Found Office, a restricted area (they also mentioned I would only be allowed there once), where the attendant flatly informed me that there was nothing she could do unless the airline submitted the item. This was the same airline whose staff had responded to my pleas with the efficiency of malfunctioning robots.

Stripped of that wallet, I was doomed. I had no access to any of my bank cards or funds. If anything had disrupted the flight schedule, whether by design or accident — God forbid — I would have essentially become a charity case far from home, as I couldn’t even afford a one-euro snack or a bottle of water during the layover. It was a nightmare.

To further compound the situation, other customer service staff told me not to expect much from the search efforts, as the cleaning crew who attended to their planes are often thieves and unlikely to return valuable items. I was stunned and appalled by this statement. If Lufthansa was aware of this culture of theft within its airline, why wasn’t the official who stopped me from retrieving my wallet more proactive in protecting my possessions or retrieving them for me?

My distress deepened when customer service representatives at both Gates B and Z, after hearing my desperate plea, callously told me that if the wallet was so important, I shouldn’t have forgotten it in my seat. Such a response was not only unprofessional but also downright insensitive to a passenger who had just endured nearly nine hours of flying. I had expected better from an airline that claims to set service standards.

To further compound the situation, other customer service staff told me not to expect much from the search efforts, as the cleaning crew who attended to their planes are often thieves and unlikely to return valuable items. I was stunned and appalled by this statement. If Lufthansa was aware of this culture of theft within its airline, why wasn’t the official who stopped me from retrieving my wallet more proactive in protecting my possessions or retrieving them for me? They provided no answer. The plane was still in my sight when I attempted to retrieve my wallet!

What is most disturbing is that the entire response of the airline appeared like a grand scam, designed to frustrate any attempt at recovering lost items. Based on the words of their own customer care representatives, it seemed that lost and forgotten items were treated as perks of working for the airline. This is corruption in the most primitive and lexical sense of the word.

The only sensible comment from the customer service came from a staff member who, after hearing what had happened, said the smartest thing would have been to retrieve the wallet immediately. He explained that the usual practice was for a member of the airline staff to accompany passengers for such retrievals, and that he had done this for several passengers before. He added that if we had met earlier, he would have done the same for me, but it was too late because the plane was already being cleaned. This lone voice of reason, a fellow Black man and the only Black staff member I encountered, likely sympathised because he humanised me and shared that he had experienced a similar misfortune during his own travels.

A fellow passenger on the same flight told me of his past experience with Lufthansa, stating that he had left his two phones on his seat and returned to pick them up, only to be routed through the Lost Items circus I was advised to pursue. In the end, he said, the phones were never recovered. His story, and those of others who suffered a similar fate, dispelled my hope. The process appears to treat forgotten items as some sort of spoils of working for the airline.

Had I been travelling to a foreign country that day, I would have been completely stranded. This entire experience with Lufthansa’s customer service was the worst I have ever encountered. The height of unprofessionalism and disrespect was shocking, especially from an airline with such a prestigious reputation.

The worst twist to the story is that when the Lost Items desk learnt I was scheduled to depart the airport at 10:00 a.m. local time, it said it was only expecting the lost item at 10:30 a.m. Quite an odd coincidence! I was willing to reschedule my flight till the next day, given the sensitivity of the items in my wallet, but I was told there was no available flight.

Luckily, or so I thought, the Abuja leg of the flight was delayed by two hours, which meant I spent seven hours waiting for a response from the airline or the Lost Items desk. I approached Lufthansa’s customer care desk to draw their attention to this, noting that the Lost Items desk had promised to receive the forgotten item at 10:30 a.m., but — wait for it — they said there was nothing they could do. It felt like a grand conspiracy to frustrate a customer, and if there’s an award for such treatment, I bet they would win it.

A fellow passenger on the same flight told me of his past experience with Lufthansa, stating that he had left his two phones on his seat and returned to pick them up, only to be routed through the Lost Items circus I was advised to pursue. In the end, he said, the phones were never recovered. His story, and those of others who suffered a similar fate, dispelled my hope. The process appears to treat forgotten items as some sort of spoils of working for the airline.

I won’t be flying Lufthansa again.

Gimba Kakanda is Senior Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the Vice President.