Upvote:0
Your flight being cancelled is neither necessary nor sufficient to get a full refund, which is what you really want. Some airlines are offering full refunds as part of their Covid-19 response. Air Canada is offering full credits, to be used within a year, or almost-full (way more than normal) refunds. (Eg 700 of a 900 fare, with seat selection fees and some tax/surcharge not refunded.) This while the flight is not cancelled. Yet some airlines are not even offering refunds if they cancel the flight, offering to put you on another flight instead or offering partial credit.
So, what you should do is contact Lufthansa and ask for a refund. Don't wait until even closer to the flight than you've waited already. You want some time for waiting to get hold of the right people, and for giving up for the day because being on hold is frustrating, and so on. Start now and ask for a refund until you get it.
Upvote:2
How and when will I be able to find out if the flight will be cancelled?
Cancellation times vary a lot but 1-2 weeks before departure seems to be typical at the moment, so it's still too early. A good indicator is today's or yesterday's flight status of your itinerary. If the flights are cancelled or non existent, than chances are very high they will not be reinstated by April 19 and are likely to be cancelled in a couple of weeks.
Go to https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/timetable-and-flight-status#/ and pop in your US first arrival (assuming it's operated by LH). If it shows "no flights" than chances are your reservation is going to be cancelled soon.
if Lufthansa cancels the flight I assume that I would get back the money I paid
Legally LH would be required to refund you the cash due to regulation EU 261. However, they are unlikely to do so and it will be very difficult to force them. Your best chance would be charge back through your credit card, so it's probably a good idea to contact your credit card provider and find out how this could work