FragranceMarketingGuy

What a mess! My partner and I booked the following itinerary using OP Mileage:

5/21: JFK/ZRH - LX F
5/22: ZRH/ATH - LX C
5/31: IST/ZRH - TK C
6/9: ZRH/JFK - LX F

I have a printed itinerary sent from CO with the above routing. I went online this morning to Co.com to work on some other bookings and noticed that this trip just had the IST/ZRH and ZRH JFK routings posted. Huh? What? Immediately called the Elite Desk to sort out the issue.

The first agent was somewhat helpful and identified the outbound segments were dropped by LX due to a scheduling change. Looked online (while speaking to the agent) at Swiss.com, no scheduling change to our flights -- all LX flights are as scheduled. Agent informs me that LX dropped the flights and he has to call to re-accommodate. Agent phones LX and they would not accommodate our original flights since the mileage allocation has already been depleted. Now the assertiveness factor kicked into high gear (catching a Med Cruise out of ATH) and the 'unacceptable' notice was verbalized. Elite Agent calls Swiss back and finds our two F seats out of JFK, but the connection is lost and we have to wait five hours in ZRH. He advised me to call LX directly. Did. LX wouldn't speak with me, and advised me this was a CO dilemma.

Called CO Elite Desk again and advised the agent our situation. Simply, "Please reinstate our ZRH/ATH flights." The agent was very unhelpful and borderline of being rude (I'm still assertive, professional but not aggressive) and I insisted speaking to a supervisor. 30 minutes later I'm still on hold and the agent replies that her supervisor spoke with LX. LX will only accommodate us on our original flight but only in Y. Do we wait in ZRH for five hours or take the seats in Y? Hhhmm. Hhhmm. Take the Y seats and I'll ask the agent for 'some' mileage back -- again, this is not our fault. I express my request and the agent informs me, "This is your fault for making a revision to your reservation." I express to her, that we revised the reservation once and if I remember correctly as a Plat changes to reservations are unlimited. Additionally, I asked her if she were in my shoes, how would she feel or act? No response.

Lessons Learned:

I'm pissed off.
CO has no recourse nor empowerment to resolve such situations.
CO likes to pass the blame -- this is the consumer's fault.
LX is useless and arrogant.
Buyer beware -- always check your reservations.

FYI:

We stuck with the five hour layover in ZRH.
Will ask for a sup at JFK tomorrow and present my case.
If I lose, will have lunch in ZRH.

-Jim