Originally Posted by
craigthemif
I think the chances are close to zero that IB downgraded a passenger from PE to Y at OLCI and then willingly sold that same person an "upgrade" to PE for €122.
Did your friend check their booking from time to time during 2025? The only thing I can think of is that IB planned an equipment change at some point, downgraded everybody in PE, and then made a last-minute equipment change so that PE seats were available yet again. Has your friend checked their spam, etc. to see whether they were informed of a downgrade?
Anyhow, your friend needs to fill in a feedback form on the Iberia website. There's no chance of receiving downgrade compensation when you don't fly in the downgraded cabin. The"upgrade" fee ought to be refundable.
Of course, before posting, I asked my friend to send me copies of the tickets, the seat‑selection receipts, the boarding passes, and the booking summary. According to what he told me, he checked the booking several times over the past months and the seat selection had always remained the same. The issue only appeared when he started the online check‑in, with the downgrade to seat 29A in Economy while seat 14A in Premium Economy was still shown as available.
Regarding the equipment change, I had the same thought, but the only communication my friend received the day before departure was about a flight delay.
I believe he already submitted feedback through the Iberia website at the beginning of January (he sent me a copy with the reference number), but after a month he has never received a reply, and phone contacts only direct him to use again the online feedback form.
Given my own past unfortunate experiences with Iberia’s customer service, the only suggestion I can at the moment offer to my friend is to dispute the €122 charge with the credit card issuer if Iberia does not provide a response in a few weeks.