I thought I'd write up the IRROPS experience I'm living through at the moment in case there are useful data points for others in the future.

I was booked to fly HEL-CPH-BRU today. While waiting for the CPH flight at HEL, I received a message through the SK app that the CPH-BRU flight had been cancelled. I called the Gold line in Sweden to ask for options. They gave me either the later SN CPH-BRU flight or a rerouting on LH via FRA. This agent said that it would not be a problem to rebook me in J (I had been booked in Plus originally). The snag was that he wasn't able to cancel my check-in for the HEL-CPH leg - without which he could not reroute me. I walked to the gate where there were no SK staff members; and then to the transfer centre where there was no one for Airpro (the handling agent for SK at HEL) present. This left me with only one option: going back landside to the check-in desk.

While walking towards the check-in desk, the SK Gold line agent told me he would put me on hold. Something went wrong and he hung on up me. I redialled the Gold line when I reached the check-in desk. The check-in agents cancelled my check-in and the Gold line agent proceeded to rebook me on LH. Unfortunately the new phone agent told me that he could not book me in J, contrary to what the first agent had told me. When I got to the LH desk, I was given a standby boarding pass as the flight was full. After I asked whether *G counted for anything, they told me that the number was not in the system. As soon as it was entered, I was assigned a seat. I asked if I could buy a J upgrade, but it wasn't available due to the ticket type.

This is the second time within a couple of weeks that the CPH-BRU flight has been cancelled for me. I'm not sure if I'm just very unlucky or if there are other problems at play here. I did get an EU261 voucher for the previous cancellation, so I would imagine I'll get one for this, too...