(Update: January 2025)

From 8 January 2025 (date of ticket issue), only one (1) item of baggage weighing up to 23 kg is permitted when booking Lufthansa Group Economy Class flights to and from Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.* This applies to Economy Class fares with the Fare Basis Codes RC, RG, or FF. On all other fares (NN, NC) or travel classes, the free baggage allowance remains unchanged.

In the event of rebooking a ticket issued up to and including 7 January 2025, the new free baggage allowance applies in a calculation based on the current fare (e.g. when rebooking the outbound flight), and the old free baggage allowance of two pieces of luggage weighing up to 23 kg each remains unchanged in a calculation based on the historical fare (e.g. when rebooking the return flight).

* Except flights to/from Canada, USA, and Central America

(Update: January 2025)

Passengers traveling with their own battery-powered wheelchair must register it in advance. Following new IATA standards for booking battery-driven wheelchairs, the Lufthansa Group airlines will in future use two different SSR elements to distinguish between removable and non-removable lithium batteries.

• New: WCLX for a passenger’s own wheelchair with removable lithium battery
• WCLB will only be used for a passenger’s own wheelchair with non-removable lithium battery

These updated SSR elements must be used for new bookings made from 13 January 2025 and for travel from 4 February 2025. Already existing and confirmed WCLB bookings remain unchanged and there is no need to rebook them.

All other regulations for booking assistance and mobility services remain unchanged. If you have any questions, your Lufthansa Group Sales & Service Team will be happy to help.

Bookings for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM)

You can help passengers with reduced mobility, with hearing or visual impairments, or with mental disabilities to enjoy the best possible service at the airport and during the flight by providing full details of their assistance requirements when booking.

It is important to clarify whether your customer will require a wheelchair throughout their journey, whether they must be carried to their seat, or whether the passenger is able to mount the steps and walk into the aircraft.

Up to two mobility aids (e.g. wheelchair or walking frame) can be transported free of charge either in the cabin or in the hold.

To register this, you can use various SSR elements to describe the requirements and ensure optimal assistance at the airport using the appropriate aids (wheelchair, lift truck, carrying equipment):

(Update: December 2024)

For cabin baggage, such as musical instruments, which measure more than 55 x 40 x 23 cm and/or weigh more than 8 kg, an additional seat must be booked. Learn more about booking cabin baggage on own seat (CBBG) in our factsheet.

(Update: December 2024)

Starting at the beginning of December 2024, you will no longer be able to register the transportation of hunting and sports weapons and ammunition by entering an SSR element in the PNR.

Registration must be made no later than 72 hours before departure using an online form on lufthansa.com.

​​To the online form

Once the registration has been checked, the SSR WEAP or SSR AMMO elements will be entered into the PNR by a dedicated Lufthansa Service Center. The passenger will be informed by e-mail. The fees incurred for the transportation of firearms or ammunition must be paid at the airport.

This new process only applies to flights operated by Lufthansa (LH) or Lufthansa City Airlines (VL). The existing registration process for flights operated by Austrian Airlines (OS), Brussels Airlines (SN), Eurowings (EW), SWISS (LX), Air Dolomiti (EN), Discover Airlines (4Y) or Edelweiss (WK) remains unchanged for the time being.

Note on existing bookings:

Existing bookings with existing confirmed SSR WEAP or SSR AMMO elements will continue to be accepted.

Transition phase: To make the transition easier for you, there will be a transition phase until approximately the end of 2024. During this period, corresponding SSR requests from travel agencies will initially be set to HN and checked once the form has been received. They will then either be confirmed or rejected. At the end of the transition phase, the input option for SSR WEAP or SSR AMMO will be deactivated for travel agencies.

(Update: November 2024)

Starting 1 November 2024 (date of ticket issue), only one piece of baggage weighing up to 23 kg will be permitted when booking Economy Class promotional fares (NN) and Economy Saver/Best Buy fares (NC). In all other fares (for example, RC and FF) and travel classes, the free baggage allowance to and from Japan remains unchanged. In the case of rebooking a ticket that was issued up to and including 31 October 2024, the new free baggage allowance applies when calculating on the basis of the current fare(e.g.when rebooking the outbound flight). The old free baggage allowance of two pieces of baggage up to 23 kg each continues to be applicable when calculating on the basis of the historical fare(e.g. when rebooking the return flight).

Note: Frequent Travellers and Status Customers can benefit from a different baggage allowance rule according to their respective status. For further info, please check the Baggage Calculator by selecting the correct status of your customer.

Note: Frequent Travellers and Status Customers can benefit from a different baggage allowance rule according to their respective status. For further info, please check the Baggage Calculator by selecting the correct status of your customer.

For a smooth boarding procedure, more stowage space on board and a punctual departure, it is essential that carry-on baggage corresponds to the regulations. That is why we check carry-on baggage against the permitted dimensions, quantity and weight at departure airports. Below please find an overview of carry-on baggage  allowance rule for all Lufthansa Group airlines.

For excess and special baggage, flat rates apply. This is also the case for sports baggage that exceeds the free baggage allowance. Below please find an overview of Excess & Special Baggage specifications for all Lufthansa Group airlines.

Note: Price calculation of the excess and special baggage is available directly at the respective airline pages of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, and SWISS.

(Update: May 2024)

In the past, requests for sports or excess baggage for Lufthansa flights were confirmed automatically. The maximum permitted weight and dimensions were not checked individually, but only entered as a note in the SSR element (e.g. MAX LENGTH 200CM UP TO 32KG 70LB/S4). Non-compliance often led to problems at airports and the baggage could not be accepted for carriage.

As of 2 May 2024, sports and excess baggage requests for flights operated by Lufthansa (LH), Lufthansa CityLine (CL) or Lufthansa City Airlines (VL) are no longer confirmed automatically but reviewed manually by a new Lufthansa Special Service Desk. After the check, the SSR is confirmed manually with HK or rejected with UC or NO. In the event of a rejection, an SSR OTHS element with an explanation is also inserted in the PNR.

This new process is applicable to the following SSR codes:

• SSR XBAG
• SSR SPEQ
• SSR BULK
• SSR BIKE

In addition, requests for the transportation of animals in the cabin (PETC) or in the hold (AVIH) are also reviewed manually using this new process. Processing will take place within 72 hours of the request at the latest, with short-term requests being prioritized.

(Update: October 2023)

 Are your customers traveling on Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, and SWISS with excess baggage? If so, please note that ancillary baggage EMDs for FBAG, MBAG, and SBAG must be issued 48 hours before departure at the latest.

(Update: September 2023)

In order to simplify the rebooking of PNRs with Ancillary Baggage EMDs, the Lufthansa Group airlines have changed the baggage EMDs (FBAG, MBAG, SBAG) in the GDS Amadeus to a ‘BTU/(Baggage Travel Unit, Bound)’ logic. Thus, instead of one EMD for the entire trip, a separate baggage EMD will now be issued per flight route.

Example: HAM–FRA–MAD–FRA–HAM

• Previously: one EMD for the entire trip
• New: two separate EMDs (one EMD for HAM–FRA–MAD and one EMD for MAD–FRA–HAM)
• The change will be automatically reflected in all Ancillary Baggage EMDs issued via the GDS Amadeus (1A) by a travel agency or the Lufthansa Group’s own distribution channels.

• The switch in NDC (Lufthansa Group airlines Direct NDC API and SPRK) will be completed by the end of November 2023
• Other reservation systems are partly already offering the possibility to price according to BTU logic or are planning the switch. If this is not the case, you can continue to issue one EMD per trip for additional baggage and reissue it, if necessary, unless the reservation system used offers another option. These EMDs will continue to be accepted by the Lufthansa Group airlines

(Update: September 2023)

Baggage will be classified as excess baggage if it exceeds the permitted weight and/or dimensions, or is not included in the baggage allowance. Find out what you need to know about excess baggage in our new factsheet.

​To the factsheet "Excess Baggage"

If the sport baggage does not exceed the baggage allowance no extra charge applies, but if the sports equipment exceeds the free baggage allowance in number of items or weight per item, passenger will be charged an extra fee.

Sports equipment that exceeds the free baggage allowance and the weight limit of the respective travel class, but does not exceed the maximum weight of 32 kg, will be charged in accordance with the rates for sports equipment. For items of sports equipment not included in the following list or for content exceeding the definition given, the fees for excess baggage will apply.