FlyingtoFlyAway

Complaint/rant. My Saturday NRT-JFK flight was cancelled and rebooked to Sunday due to the typhoon. Then, Sunday was cancelled. So by this point, I am missing a separate booking Lufthansa flight to Germany, and cancelling a variety of other plans, and I need to get to Germany, not JFK. Well, ANA would not offer anything except (a) rebooking of the exact flight or (b) cancellation (which is worthless, since it is the final segment of a 4 segment ticket) despite the fact that I would take a downgrade to Economy and am flexible on dates. What is the point of being a Diamond member when you cannot receive a bit more help/flexibility in extreme circumstances? It's a real kick in the teeth to be told that because an originally booked ticket fare class (Premium Economy N) is restrictive, that no exceptions will be made after (TWO) consecutive involuntary cancellations.

Often1

You are being offered roughly what most carriers would offer. Either rebooking or a refund.

I can't imagine any carrier rebooking you NRT-FRA rather than NRA-JFK when you are booked on separate tickets (I presume separate tickets, not simply bookings).

There are many risks in booking separate tickets. This is just one of them.

If you were to take the refund, what would it cost to change your existing LH ticket to NRT-FRA? All depending on fare rules and pricing, that might be a relatively cheap and convenient option.

FlyingtoFlyAway

They are indeed separate tickets (as a side note, if carriers made pricing and rules for complex itineraries reasonable, more people would combine separate ticket purchases into single bookings). LH won't do anything to help either, and wanted to charge $500-800 just to change the date of my JFK-BRE flight to either of the days I requested (this is a PY ticket that originally cost around $1000 r/t).

The thing is, I am not being offered a refund in any meaningful sense. This happens (through no fault of mine, it's just when the bloody typhoon arrived) to be the end of a r/t BKK-(TYO stopover)-NYC-BKK ticket. As a result of having flown the previous legs, I would only be refunded sales tax. In addition, ANA would also not rebook--without a huge standard charge and fare difference--the ticket to some cheap date in the future when the ticket might be useful. I was told I need to rebook within the first few available days (when I can't fly) or take a refund (which is almost worthless).

Here's the core of my complaint: just as the typhoon is not ANA's fault, neither is it mine. Forcing the choice between an undesired rebooking and an almost worthless refund places all the damage/burden on the customer. This is really just "sorry you bought a cheap ticket and we won't help you."

Often1

You are correct, this is not about fault. But, if your flight is cancelled, under its own COC, you are entitled to a full refund of the fare for the cancelled segment. That may not be much, but don't let it go at just the taxes.

Your travel insurance may help, although few policies cover transfers between separate tickets.

zebranz

Carriers have enough "earned" blame to take. A typhoon is a bit much to ask them to create something special for you. As "Often1" states you have options when this happens. LH is not obligated to do anything either and a change fee is something you accepted when you booked the LH ticket (see the fare rules).
You comment about a cheap ticket is also a bit much as the typhoon caused those with expensive tickets to lose their booked flights too.

AlwaysAisle

I highly doubt neither LH or NH offer NRT-BRE fare which allow routing via JFK, hence you have to buy two separate tickets. Even if you are willing to pay most expensive fully flexible fare, NRT-BRE via JFK may exceed maximum miles allowable by the ticket, which you will not able to buy as one single ticket. When airlines do not set specific fare between two cities via certain point means there really is not enough demand to warrant such fare setting, most of the case it is pure business decision by airlines.

I am sorry about your situation, but it is typhoon situation and no airlines is held responsible when weather related. Also, it is just another part of life. Flying internationally for more than few decades I had share of flight cancellation/disruption due to weather related situation which caused me to miss work related matters or family related matters. However, life moved on after that and I do not think I am at less place in my life right now because of the such event of my past.

Tokyoite

welcome to modern day flying...

Often1

Even back in the day, this would have been sold as an IATA YY fare and that would have been "protected" but off-the-charts expensive. Highly unlikely that it would have been worth the cost, even if OP must now buy new tickets.

FlyingtoFlyAway

This is the core of the complaint. The *refund* of the cancelled flight as calculated internally has no relationship to the *basic value of the flight* or its *replacement cost.* Does anyone really think it's reasonable to lose a TYO-JFK PY and be refunded around $100? Forget rerouting to Germany (which would just be nice given that I would downgrade and am flexible in dates), the basic problem is an involuntary cancellation that is not replaced with a *useful ticket*--I have a job like most people and need to be online and reachable and can't just off and fly 12 hours any given day: I could only fly the day I booked.

AlwaysAisle

AA (American Airlines) does same thing, it is common complaint posted on AA forum. However, seems to be DL does it differently. If purchased BKK-NRT-JFK. Traveled BKK-NRT, with NRT stop over. Later NRT-JFK got cancel and decide not to do NRT-JRK portion. DL supposed to have cheapest fare available for BKK-NRT portion on the day you purchased BKK-NRT-JFK and the refund will be difference. Each airlines do different ways and we lean as we go though these kind of experience.

FlyingtoFlyAway

Yes seems like a typical rule which is completely fare for voluntary refunds but a kick in the balls in this case. It's a rare situation at least. Interesting about DL!

Other than the huge mileage earning bonus for Platinum and Diamond, which is great and what caused me to choose NH for my home program, I haven't seen a lot of value from Diamond status. Certainly no flexible treatment in this case.

santina1917

While uncertain what type of ticket was purchased, an involuntary refund for the unused coupon NRTJFK should be higher than $100. Have you contacted ANA directly for the refund calculation?

ainternational

To the OP, sucks, but ANA can’t do squat given your separate LH ticket. Yeah, quality of service for us DIA members is going down every year, but your expectations here, in this specific case, I’m sorry to say, are a bit high.

And coming from me, that says something as I’m usually the one expecting higher levels of service.

If it makes you feel any better, my NRT to ZRH direct flight was cancelled twice due to the “typhoon” (Narita was fine!) and Swiss offered me the same flight A WEEK LATER.

I got a refund (no status with Swiss) and had to book TG and EK HND to BKK to DXB to ZRH. 36 hours versus 12. Real PITA.