Originally Posted by
juniordk2000
LH's argument was that downgrade rules did not apply this far in advance but only at the airport. I think realistically, given the length of advance notice, they could just cancel my ticket at no cost to them, so offering a business class flight + 75% refund would be hoping for too much.
I spoke with my mother and she already decided that she wants her trip in First Class, so we will swing by Sao Paulo on the way to Rio. As much as I dread having to do domestic economy and bagage transfer in Sao Paulo, I will let her decide as it is "her" trip.
What local carrier is LH using for your trip? Are you sure it doesn't have some sort of FC or business class cabin?
You should check fares for this routing too, as it might be cheaper to cancel your tickets for a full refund and buy new tickets with the connection. Alternatively, if LH markets a through fare in FC/business class with premium cabin travel on the domestic connecting flight, you have a strong argument for asking LH to put you into the premium cabin on the local carrier.