Lufthansa has charged a crafty traveler 1,980 Euros for abusing the privileges of a business class fare, by eating for free at the lounge in Munich airport, then leaving and rebooking his flight for another day. The man did this thirty-five times.
Video shot inside the Lufthansa Business Class lounge at Munich
The bill, equivalent to $2,705 U.S. dollars comes out to about $77.29 per visit. That's a pretty steep price to pay for a comfy chair, WiFi access, a few Loewenbraeu beers and a meal. Plus, I'd assume he also had to pay for airport parking while there, or at least a round trip train ticket for each visit. Then there's the hassle of going through security upon each visit. I've been through airport security in Germany post-9/11 and it's no less intrusive there than it is in America.
The man spread out his visits infrequently, but Lufthansa caught on and canceled and refunded his ticket after a year of not being used. At that point, he bought another ticket, with plans to resume his scheme. That's when the airline decided to step in and prosecute.
Top image by Matt@PEK on Flickr - CC Commercial License
Source: Bloomberg