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A friend of mine purchased a fixed price upgrade (the sort that confirm immediately) to Business Class on a Lufthansa route a few days after booking back in June for this October. She upgraded the two inbound legs, leaving the outbound in Economy. Since then the inbound flight got cancelled and Lufthansa won’t rebook her in Business Class on the rebooked flights (which are now operated by Croatia Airlines).
They’re offering to only fly her in economy and refund the upgrade fee.
I was advising her to buy new tickets on the same dates as she booked but in Economy out and Business back (as was booked) and claim back the difference from Lufthansa.
There’s often advise here about buying your own tickets when flights are cancelled, but what about the case when you’re downgraded yet seats are available with other carriers? Do we have to take the refund/downgrade calculation? It doesn’t seem fair to have to fly in Economy because Lufthansa are too cheap to pay for Business.
Croatia Airlines are Miles & More AND Star Alliance too!
Firstly, has the flight actually been cancelled and rebooked, with a different flight number? If so, your friend needs to stand her ground as Lufthansa is obliged to reroute her in the same cabin class as she was originally travelling in. I am assuming here that the fact that it was upgraded later doesn’t matter, so it’s possible that someone else has more specific knowledge.
However, if she’s accepted the cancellation and rebooking, it’s a done deal and she would be wasting her money buying new tickets.
If it’s the same flight number and what’s happened is that she’s actually been downgraded, she can claim compensation after flying but she would not be eligible for re-routing in business class.
So it might be helpful to have a few more specifics for a more detailed answer.
I am assuming Lufty is responsible for any EU261 obligations being the original carrier and responsible for the cancellation.As @NorthernLass says she must not accept any refund. As her flight was cancelled by LH, LH must rebook (reroute) her on another flight or airline if she chooses to still travel either as near as possible to her booked flight, or to move all travel on the ticket or jusr thar flight, to a later datw. She has the right to be rebooked in same class following LH’s cancellation.
It does not matter whether she paid for her ticket with money, miles, some kind of voucher, accepting an upgrade, etc. She has a ticket in that class and how she got it is irrelevant – she has a right to be rerouted same cabin. Lufthansa are cheaping out, just as they did several years ago when they dumped all flights not touching MUC or FRA and people found themselves on Eurowings or worse.
If she accepts any refund then she loses these rights. This is why Lufthansa is pushing. It is her choice to reroute, or to refund, it is not Lufthansa’s choice. I think she should ask for a different reroute provided cabin class is kept, however could involve messy connecting flight rather than direct even if LH will provide it as supposed to.
If the flight that is eventually booked as a replacement if she chooses to still travel at the same time, requires a longer time waiting or even 1 or more hotel nights then Lufthansa owes her provision or reimbursement of duty of care costs ie all meals at reasonable local or airport prices, transport to and from any accommodation needed, internet for the extra time till replacement flight.
It would help if we knew the route as she might find it necessary to pursue her rights legally in Germany which is stickier than here (but still same rights).
Lufthansa is pretty famous for refusing legally obliged refunds in Covid. Not too many months ago they got together with other airlines and admitted past problems but they all publicly promised they would do better in future… I think we’re still waiting. People have recovered costs and expenses for this sort of thing from them – try vielfliegertreff.de for info.
As @NorthernLass says cancellation could let you book yourself and claim back if you’d done everything possible to get the airline to provide, were sure of your rights and kept all attempts well docimented, then you’d have to present your case and potentially argue it at arbitration or court, so it is not something to undertake lightly, will cost some money in court and you could lose.
For a simple downgrade, which is not your case here as her arranged flight was cancelled and it is a question of her right to reroute in same class as booked ie Business , so far as we can tell on here you don’t have the right to refuse to travel -:which seems very unfair but true. Plus shorthaul downgrade reimbursement works out to practically nothing. So.whatever you do make sure she doesn’t accept a refund.
Let us know what happens?
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