For my parents' 40th anniversary I sent them to Paris for 5 days, booking them in business class as a splurge (upgradeable fare + miles) which they were very excited about.

I am just off the phone with my father after returning from business trip to hear about how thier trip was... which was great other than the following:

On the outbound they were booked GRB-MSP-CDG. GRB-MSP was a regional jet so no first class, which I knew. Unfortunately GRB-MSP was canceled due to mechanical. The agent at GRB was able to re-route GRB-DTW and then told them they would be re-booked onto an Air France flight to Paris. GRB-DTW they are in coach (he doesn't remember if there was 1st on that flight or not) which my dad thinks nothing of because he wasn't in first GRB-MSP anyway (not realizing this was because of the aircraft and not because he wasn't on a biz class seat the entire way).

Anyway, arrives in detroit and is booked on the AF flight, then notices it's in coach. Says something to the agent who says sorry you will have to talk to AF. AF is just next door, and he talks to them and they say you have to talk to NW. Goes back and forth several times and finally the two together essentially say "Sorry, AF will not accommodate this kind of ticket for upgrade" or something to that affect. So they flight AF coach to Paris (even whiles seats in biz run empty).

So he wasn't even going to tell me because he didn't want to hurt my feelings... but then he talked to someone else on the way back who said at least I should get my miles back. Um, yes.

I am not even mad at this point really... I am sad. This was to be a very special treat and I am so disappointed to have them basically swept under like this. As a mechanical issue should they not have been re-booked into biz regardless of airline? It was a biz class ticket and they took my $ and miles. I also don't understand why they were not re-booked on NW DTW-CDG there are a couple flights and timing wouldn't have been a problem. It was also not a situation where they were oversold and no seats available and if they wanted to go that day that was the only choice... the flight went out with empty seats in biz.

My father indicated that the agents in DTW asked him several questions about the biz class, and whether it was miles or paid upgrade, etc., and he didn't know the answer. He also would not have known enough to ask why he was being booked on AF. All he knew was his son got him biz class tix and now he was in coach.

Am I right to request the following from NW:

1) re-deposit of 60k miles to my account (1/2 of the round trip mileage cost)
2) refund of the difference between discounted coach and upgradeable fare coach
3) 15k miles deposited in each of my parents' accounts for NW's mis-handling of this

Am I crazy? I am plat and fly NW all the time... I am so disheartened about this. They were thrilled with the trip but I feel this was shameful on NW part.