Jan 20, 2016, 9:14 am
Last edit by: Palal
Brief History
On 6 January, a fare appeared for a few hours on Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and online travel agencies (OTAs) offering BRU-ADD-(GBE)-CPT r/t in fully refundable business (C-Class) for 530.
Several days later, many members got e-mails stating that they "actually booked economy tickets" and were downgraded from fare basis CRTBE (fully refundable business) to TLES6MBE (economy). Some who booked through OTAs have yet to receive this downgrade, and some have been downgraded with no notification from OTAs.
Several people have also successfully flown already.
Next Steps
1. It's (now) safe to call/email the airline.
2. It seems 2 options are given: travel in economy, or full refund.
--> those who have chosen a refund have mostly gotten it promptly.
--> those who have contested the e-mail have not received any type of response.
--> other options were presented here, although others have not seem to replicated the result.
3. Contacting any Ethiopian offices (London, Vienna, etc.) have resulted in being redirected to the Ethiopian Brussels office.
4. For those who plan to fight it, see below. Note that no one has had a successful outcome yet.
5. Update: Some users are reporting getting the offer of 75% refunds to travel in economy as per EC 261.
Avenues of contest:
1. Try Art. 10 (2) lit. c of the Flight Delay Compensation Regulation 261/2004. It may be possible to get up to 75% of the ticket price back, although this is unconfirmed and debatable.
2. Befriend a Belgian lawyer with a penchant for pro bono work
Kidding aside, it is not wise to go the legal route.
You should email the Belgian enforcement body at: [email protected]
In the email state your name, eticket, travel date, attach ticket receipt.
State that your ticket has been purchased and issued in business class and that the airline is offering to either cancel or downgrade without compensation. Politely ask for their help in enforcing EU Reg 261/2004 Art.10 2(c).
Planned Trips:
early February OwlMan
early April mattking2000
March-End Culture Guru
late April Palal
Further/concurrent reading (for the German-inclined):
http://www.vielfliegertreff.de/first-business-class-tarife/91159-et-bru-cpt-524-euro.html
On 6 January, a fare appeared for a few hours on Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and online travel agencies (OTAs) offering BRU-ADD-(GBE)-CPT r/t in fully refundable business (C-Class) for 530.
Several days later, many members got e-mails stating that they "actually booked economy tickets" and were downgraded from fare basis CRTBE (fully refundable business) to TLES6MBE (economy). Some who booked through OTAs have yet to receive this downgrade, and some have been downgraded with no notification from OTAs.
Several people have also successfully flown already.
Next Steps
1. It's (now) safe to call/email the airline.
2. It seems 2 options are given: travel in economy, or full refund.
--> those who have chosen a refund have mostly gotten it promptly.
--> those who have contested the e-mail have not received any type of response.
--> other options were presented here, although others have not seem to replicated the result.
3. Contacting any Ethiopian offices (London, Vienna, etc.) have resulted in being redirected to the Ethiopian Brussels office.
4. For those who plan to fight it, see below. Note that no one has had a successful outcome yet.
5. Update: Some users are reporting getting the offer of 75% refunds to travel in economy as per EC 261.
Avenues of contest:
1. Try Art. 10 (2) lit. c of the Flight Delay Compensation Regulation 261/2004. It may be possible to get up to 75% of the ticket price back, although this is unconfirmed and debatable.
2. Befriend a Belgian lawyer with a penchant for pro bono work
Kidding aside, it is not wise to go the legal route. Code:
Article 10: Upgrading and downgrading 1. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class higher than that for which the ticket was purchased, it may not request any supplementary payment. 2. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased, it shall within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), reimburse (a) 30 % of the price of the ticket for all flights of 1500 kilometres or less, or (b) 50 % of the price of the ticket for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres, except flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments, and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometres, or (c) 75 % of the price of the ticket for all flights not falling under (a) or (b), including flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments.
In the email state your name, eticket, travel date, attach ticket receipt.
State that your ticket has been purchased and issued in business class and that the airline is offering to either cancel or downgrade without compensation. Politely ask for their help in enforcing EU Reg 261/2004 Art.10 2(c).
Planned Trips:
early February OwlMan
early April mattking2000
March-End Culture Guru
late April Palal
Further/concurrent reading (for the German-inclined):
http://www.vielfliegertreff.de/first-business-class-tarife/91159-et-bru-cpt-524-euro.html
[PREMIUM FARE GONE] Ethiopian Airlines-Brussel to CPT (r/t) in J on 787 for 530 in J
Jan 9, 2016, 2:43 pm
#301
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Hague, NL
Programs: GMLFL, Life 2.0 - Mucci Premiere Classe & des Chevaliers Toulousiens
Posts: 22,911
Having seen many (and I do mean: many) legal debates here about how the airline has no leg to stand on, I have yet to see a successful claim made by a pax in a clearcut case of mistake fares. To me - personally - this is enough evidence that the legal road is a waste of time.
I thought that was excellent advice. ^ 
My personal advice would be to make a mixed drink and perhaps a sandwich and just move on to the next one.
Jan 9, 2016, 2:51 pm
#302
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Having seen many (and I do mean: many) legal debates here about how the airline has no leg to stand on, I have yet to see a successful claim made by a pax in a clearcut case of mistake fares. To me - personally - this is enough evidence that the legal road is a waste of time.
I thought that was excellent advice. ^
I thought that was excellent advice. ^
Jan 9, 2016, 2:56 pm
#303
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Posts: 22,911
Jan 9, 2016, 2:59 pm
#304
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Posts: 102,095
Jan 9, 2016, 3:02 pm
#305
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Hague, NL
Programs: GMLFL, Life 2.0 - Mucci Premiere Classe & des Chevaliers Toulousiens
Posts: 22,911
Time for a drink ?
^
Jan 9, 2016, 3:09 pm
#308
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Jan 9, 2016, 4:10 pm
#309
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,101
It's indeed not as simple as that. I guess you are referring to the fact that the consent was not "proper, properly given" based on "mistake". A mistake is for instance not excusable if the party did not run proper research (as a normal, diligent person would do) before giving his consent. For a professional seller it will be much more difficult to claim that a loaded fare, offered on his own website, was subject to an excusable mistake.
If Mr & Mrs Janssens had come across this fare one evening while searching for their annual holiday to visit family in South Africa, and booked tickets in good faith, then all well and good. And I'm sure the courts would be sympathetic.
But the airlines, in cases like this one, rely on demonstrating that those buying tickets at the low fare knew, or should have known, that the fare was a mistake: they attempted to exploit the situation, fully aware that the vendor could not have intended selling tickets at this fare. In short, they acted in bad faith.
In recent cases (United, Swiss), carriers have adduced as evidence transcripts from FT and the usual blogs to demonstrate that the mistake fare was widely promulgated among a worldwide cognescenti as an opportunity to profit from the situation.
Seems to me courts and regulators are likely to be less sympathetic in such cases.
Jan 10, 2016, 3:28 am
#311
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 52
I am also looking forward to the trip reports.
Yesterday I have finally received e-tickets from the OTA I booked (Vliegtarieven.nl), which still says I am booked in business class and C fare in all legs, as you can see below:
Class BUSINESS
SeatNumber CHECK-IN REQUIRED
BaggageAllowance 3PC
BookingStatus OKTOFLY
FareBasis CRTBE
The only problem is that I cannot retrieve my booking on Ethiopian website with PNR and my surname. It keep saying "Booking not found
We are not able to locate the booking you're looking for. Please check if you've provided the correct information and try again." Anyone had problems with checking their reservation on ET website, if booked through OTA?
Yesterday I have finally received e-tickets from the OTA I booked (Vliegtarieven.nl), which still says I am booked in business class and C fare in all legs, as you can see below:
Class BUSINESS
SeatNumber CHECK-IN REQUIRED
BaggageAllowance 3PC
BookingStatus OKTOFLY
FareBasis CRTBE
The only problem is that I cannot retrieve my booking on Ethiopian website with PNR and my surname. It keep saying "Booking not found
We are not able to locate the booking you're looking for. Please check if you've provided the correct information and try again." Anyone had problems with checking their reservation on ET website, if booked through OTA?
Jan 10, 2016, 3:42 am
#313
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Belgian in Dublin
Programs: *A Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Ryanair Platinum
Posts: 157
I am also looking forward to the trip reports.
Yesterday I have finally received e-tickets from the OTA I booked (Vliegtarieven.nl), which still says I am booked in business class and C fare in all legs, as you can see below:
Class BUSINESS
SeatNumber CHECK-IN REQUIRED
BaggageAllowance 3PC
BookingStatus OKTOFLY
FareBasis CRTBE
The only problem is that I cannot retrieve my booking on Ethiopian website with PNR and my surname. It keep saying "Booking not found
We are not able to locate the booking you're looking for. Please check if you've provided the correct information and try again." Anyone had problems with checking their reservation on ET website, if booked through OTA?
Yesterday I have finally received e-tickets from the OTA I booked (Vliegtarieven.nl), which still says I am booked in business class and C fare in all legs, as you can see below:
Class BUSINESS
SeatNumber CHECK-IN REQUIRED
BaggageAllowance 3PC
BookingStatus OKTOFLY
FareBasis CRTBE
The only problem is that I cannot retrieve my booking on Ethiopian website with PNR and my surname. It keep saying "Booking not found
We are not able to locate the booking you're looking for. Please check if you've provided the correct information and try again." Anyone had problems with checking their reservation on ET website, if booked through OTA?
I booked through Tripsta. Received etickets, can log in on ET website however money still says 'blocked' on my visa. I had this a while back with an error fare from Italy to Bangkok where in the end they just never charged the card. Maybe that's what they're doing with those who booked through ota, no clue.
Jan 10, 2016, 3:55 am
#314
Join Date: May 2005
Location: 1A
Posts: 1,350
I booked through Tripsta. Received etickets, can log in on ET website however money still says 'blocked' on my visa. I had this a while back with an error fare from Italy to Bangkok where in the end they just never charged the card. Maybe that's what they're doing with those who booked through ota, no clue.
Jan 10, 2016, 4:38 am
#315
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 52
In my case OTA has charged the money from Credit Card already.