"It Won't Magically Change": Lufthansa's Blunt Reply To Customer Sparks Backlash, Gets 14 Million Views

German airline Lufthansa has apologised after its social media team faced criticism for a blunt response to a passenger who was seeking a previously approved refund. The exchange unfolded publicly on X after the passenger, who uses the name Baku Man on the platform, tagged Lufthansa while complaining that he was still waiting for money the airline had agreed to pay him.

According to the passenger, he had been communicating with Lufthansa for months over the compensation. While the airline had approved the payment, he claimed the money had still not reached his bank account. He said repeated attempts to get an update through customer service had failed to resolve the issue.

Frustrated, he took his complaint to X and publicly tagged the airline. "Why are you ignoring my messages and emails @lufthansa? You approved our payment months ago, yet you dodge responsibility and act unlawfully! Shame on you," the passenger wrote.

Lufthansa responded by pointing out that its team had already replied to him several times through direct messages on different social media platforms. The airline's response, however, drew attention for its unusually sharp tone. 

"We've already responded to you numerous times via DM on different social media platforms. The response isn't going to magically change just because you're asking the same question on X now," the airline replied. The reply has got more than 14 million views so far.  

We've already responded to you numerous times via DM on different social media platforms. The response isn't going to magically change just because you're asking the same question on X now. /Flo

— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) September 22, 2026

The passenger pushed back, saying he was not looking for a different answer but wanted Lufthansa to release the compensation it had already approved. "I don't need a magic response, Flo—I need Lufthansa to pay the money you APPROVED. Your DM responses haven't changed because you refuse to resolve. Stop arguing on social media and tell Customer Relations to process our payout!" the passenger responded. 

The exchange initially appeared to be just another customer service dispute, but Lufthansa's response began attracting wider attention on X. As the post was shared and viewed by more users, criticism of the airline's handling of the complaint grew. 

Lufthansa eventually acknowledged the backlash and apologised for the way the interaction had been handled.

In its follow-up response, the airline said the exchange did not meet the standard it expects from its customer service operation and apologised to the passenger. 

We sincerely apologize for our last reply to you - this is not the way we treat our passengers. We understand your frustration in this matter and are doing everything we can to speed up the process. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) September 23, 2026

While Lufthansa has publicly apologised for its handling of the conversation, it remains unclear from the public exchange whether the passenger has since received the compensation he was seeking.

After the apology, the passenger said, "Thank you for your apology. I appreciate it. Now I kindly ask you to take the next step and have Customer Relations finalise my approved payment. Nearly 10 million people have seen this post. Did not a single staff member have 2 minutes to reply to my emails over all this time?"