I was not able to get my fee for the checked bag waived.
Flew on a Lufthansa 220-plated Eco Light ticket DUS-FRA-JFK (both legs on Lufthansa metal) as a Singapore Airlines Star Gold member. When checking in at the Star Gold/Business desk in DUS was told that the EUR 50 bag must be paid if I want the bag to fly with me. I pointed out that according to the Lufthansa website Star Gold members on a transatlantic ticket are exempt from the fee but was told by the agent that she has no ability to override the computer's demand for the bag payment, so in the end had I had to pay the EUR 50 bag fee to get it checked.
After arrival in the US sent an email to the Luftahansa customer service desk attaching a quote from the lufthansa.com website stating that the bag fee does not apply to Star Alliance Gold members flying on a transatlantic ticket as well as a link to that statement on their website. Fully expected to be refunded the EUR 50 fee, but instead got an email back with a denial on the following basis:
"When a light fare ticket is purchased by our passengers, according to our policies the baggage allowance is 1 piece of carry-on baggage up to 8 kg. The transportation of bags exceeding the free baggage allowance is considered as an additional service. That is why our staff charged a fee of 50 EUR at the departure airport.
While we understand your request to receive a refund for the excess baggage fee, we nonetheless aim to treat all our passengers in a fair and equal manner. That is why we cannot exempt individual travelers from complying with our baggage rules, regardless of the reason, and thank you for your understanding."
Is this denial legit because it included a domestic segment (DUS-FRA, albeit this was all on one ticket)? And if not, is there any way of escalating this request? If so, how?
Would appreciate any thoughts on this, because I, frankly, find it puzzling.