TPlanner

Wondering if anyone has got caught in todays Lufthansa strike at Frankfurt - especially with BMI award tickets?

We have our final award booking to St Petersburg (via Frankfurt) on Thursday next week. I have already asked Diamond Club if we can move to another flight and avoid the risk that we will get caught in a short notice Lufthansa strike. Diamond Club say they cannot move us to the direct BA flight because there is no award availability. They also cannot move us to another star carrier because they can no longer see Star availability nor make changes to a Star booking. The only advice they have to wait and see on the day.

I am not too worried yet but it would be good to know what is most likely to happen if the strikes continue and any advice people may be able to offer. Needless to say I don’t really like the idea of potentially turning up at Heathrow and joining the scrum of other displaced passenger if I can help it!
Thanks

SK AAR

Neither LH or DC will deal with this an advance. You will have to wait until it is clear whether there will actually be a strike Thursday nxt week (most likely not) and LH will take it from there if your flights are cancelleed or delayed by strike. There is nothing you can do.

Behindthecurtain

Utterly messed up BD896 from DME Saturday when I was doing my usual football run. was suposed to be an A321, so they loaded up with lots of Lufthansa economy passengers to fill up the back of the bus (LH put their Business and Card Holders on Swiss Austria and and others first and BA/BMI took whoever was left via London on the 05:540 and 06:55 flights), with only the three BMI paying (errrr Airmiles for me) passengers in Business.

However...

A last minute, "I am Sick" call from a crewmember meant they could not fly a 321, as they were below minumum crew, so switched to a 320....

So, when boarding, no one had the right seats, the tickets were all being swapped, people who were economy were seated in every spare business seat, which when the catering was for three Business Class and a full load of economy, was always going to be interesting!

Three of us in different places were served a full business package and the rest sat round us were severed the economy. Cue some noses out of joint

The crew did a good job to be honest and put up with some fed up people. The main downside was late take off and the fact that there was an economy service, with carts and multiple runs, running throughout the flight in business meant no lights off within 30 minues, no window shades closed, no quiet and no sleep, as it was impossible to do so...

So somewhat more tired than normal. Going back on the 10:35 BD895 was sureal though. An A321 with an average load in the back and just me in business. Due to being shattered, the two staff got an easy time. No service needed, seat back and sleep. This is pretty normal as the Sunday load to the UK is quite high with business people, so the bigger aircraft needs to go, but its only the second time in five years it has just been me.

Guy Betsy

LH res will not do anything, but the airport ticket counter will within 24 hours of your flight. But you have to be here in person to handle re ticketing .

starflyergold

Not true, Lufthansa did issue a rebooking waiver (below). As the next strike is now confirmed for Tuesday you can expect the waiver to be extended, check the LH website tomorrow or later tonight.

I was affected by the strike on Friday and the rebooking went smoothly via LH reservations on the phone (and Twitter) but only on flights with LH family airlines. The only reason why I went to the airport was to pick up the hotel voucher

Guy Betsy

The quote is " all passengers with Lufthansa tickets issued before 31 August 2012 for Lufthansa operated flights "

OP is on a BMI ticket. LH res will only reschedule the ticket in advance if its on LH document. From my own personal experience, OP must go to the airport ticket office to get ticket rerouted. Due to 2010's infamous snowstorms affecting european flights, I was due to fly AMS-FRA-YVR on LH on BMI award. LH res or even the SEN line refused to reroute me. It was only when I went to the LH ticket counter at AMS did they reroute me via YYZ on KL/AC.

oliver2002

If the issuing airline can't do anything LH will help you out once the flight is cancelled. Note that BA is withdrawing the 236 bmi stock from BSP over the next few months, so it will become tougher and tougher for even LH to touch the coupons issued on 236 stock. @:-)

UncleDude

This lack of co-operation between the ICC and Star is becoming a farce.

Somebody from BA Management should get on their bike and go to the Regional Star office near Heathrow and get some form of flight changes waiver introduced.

So Far I've had a TG BKK-DPS and Return totally cancelled on my Days of Travel.

A Thai SYD-BKK which was connnecting with my NZ Flight cancelled and now have to overnight in SYD, when I could have easily rebooked same day quick easy connections AKL-MEL-BKK but the ICC Said NO

A BKK-HKG rescheduled to almost 3 hours later meaning I will miss the show I wanted to see in Macau..Seems you have to travel on whatever flight TG rebooks you again according to the ICC

A NZ RAR-AKL flight day changed now meaning 2 Nights instead of 1 in AKL and even worse 1 Night less in RAR

This is leaving a very Bad taste in my mouth in respect of Star. Maybe thats what BA wanted. Or IMHO this should all have been considered and negotiated with LH and Star before BA agreed the purchase.

oliver2002

hmm... *A is the arch enemy of OW/BA, I doubt they will get active... normally when you hold a ticket that is affected by changes and cancellations, you ask the issuing office first, then the operating airline. So if TG changes schedules and bmi is unwilling to do anything you call TG?

TPlanner

Major strike announced for Friday. All flights and all bases. Hopefully this means my Thursday flights via FRA will be OK. Fingers crossed.

baggageinhall

I was in Frankfurt in March when a flash strike was called for the following morning. I arrived the night before and there was no interest in sorting out an alternative when it was patently obvious that flights were going to be cancelled.

My route was

FRA-ZRH on Swiss in C
ZRH-DEL on Swiss in F

First thing in the morning I got a text telling me that my LX flight had been cancelled. On arrival at the First Class Terminal, all LH and LX flights had been cancelled to Zurich.

I was offered the same flights 24 hours later, an Air India First that night or LH the following day.

I could see that there was an LX flight after mine which was operating. The LH staff member told me that I was wrong twice but I insisted she checked and sure enough, LX were operating one flight that would get me there in time.

So, it took a bit of persistence to get them to check other flights and other *A / almost *A (Air India, a codeshare) were offered.