Hundreds of Belgian, Dutch, and German tourists have been stranded at Namibia’s Windhoek airport (WDH) for four days due to repeated flight cancellations by German Discover Airlines, a Lufthansa subsidiary.
A defective part delayed the scheduled Airbus A330-300 (reg. D-AIKK) flight 4Y139 to Frankfurt, with each promised departure pushed back daily. Passengers, angry and uncertain, criticised Lufthansa for poor communication and limited rebooking options during peak travel season. With only one flight daily from Namibia to Western countries, many are left in limbo, unsure when they’ll return home.
Lufthansa assured efforts to resolve the situation safely but cited logistical challenges.
I held a business class ticket on LH4357 / 4Y133 from Windhoek, Namibia to Frankfurt, Germany. Scheduled departure: 19:55h Dec. 19.
Notification that the flight was cancelled was sent by email at 01:18 AM Dec. 19, followed at 04:27 by a rerouting offer (via Cape Town).
New scheduled departure: 13:40 Dec. 19, some 6.25 hours earlier than the original departure time.
I was on holiday in Namibia; neither email was seen until ~14:00 Dec. 19.
Even if I had been made aware of the problem and proposed solution in time, the new ticket from Cape Town to FRA was downgraded from business to economy (with 0 baggage allowance).
Difference in fare values: Eur 1,888.
The next available option offered by the Discover agent was an economy class ticket from Windhoek to Quito, Colombia departing Dec. 23, FOUR DAYS LATER.
In the circumstances. I opted for alternative means to my destination ($6000).
Discover has offered no compensation, taking the position that’s its obligation to the passenger ended when it sent an email.
And the outbound flight from Frankfurt to Windhoek was delayed nine hours.
Discover Airlines’ aircraft and schedules are unreliable, reflecting very poorly on Lufthansa which code shares the flights.
Faced the same ordeal in Frankfruit with our flight schedule for Namibia where I was to connect to RSA on 18 December 2024