Airline refused to provide travel escort for unaccompanied Bulgarian child in the belief that "Bulgaria is part of the Russian Federation"

Lufthansa airline has refused to appoint an escort for the 12-year-old son (travelling alone) of the Bulgarian ambassador to the US, Georgi Panayotov. The reason was that the company believed that Bulgaria was part of the Russian Federation.

The case was reported by Georgi Panayotov himself on his Facebook page. His son was supposed to return home for Christmas, travelling on the route Washington - Frankfurt - Sofia. Panayotov paid for the service of an attendant to pick up the child in Frankfurt and take him to the connecting flight.

On the day of the flight, however, Panayotov was refused service by the company. The reason given by Lufthansa was that "Bulgaria is part of the Russian Federation".

I am sending my son to Bulgaria for Christmas. He is flying with Lufthansa via Frankfurt to Sofia. I requested an attendant to escort him from the plane arriving in Frankfurt from Washington to the departing plane to Sofia, because the Frankfurt airport is huge. Theo is 12 years old and has never traveled alone. The service is paid and the company confirmed. On the day of the departure I was informed that the service (assistance to a 12 year old child) was cancelled.

The reason cited by Lufthanza is that Bulgaria is part of the Russian Federation.

Not a joke, but an actual case that shredded my nerves and traumatised my child, Panayotov wrote on Facebook.