Cathay has cancelled flight - now flying with Lufthansa
 

I booked a flight with Cathay Pacific next month in business to Kuala Lumpur from Frankfurt and they have informed me that changes have been made to my booking. I am now flying Lufthansa on the return leg from Hong Kong. I was already quite annoyed as it’s a P fare (no tier points with BAEC! :mad:) and now the flight has been changed to Lufthansa!

Naturally I’m trying to avoid the 2-3-2 layout so is there anyway around this to fly another OneWorld carrier? Does any EU rule apply here? My final destination would be London with BA from Frankfurt.

Thanks

Perhaps you should call Cathay Pacific on the telephone.

EC261/2004 does not apply for CX, a non-EU airline, on a flight starting outside the EU (HKG).

If you accept the flight on LH, an EU airline, then EC261/2004 would kick in based on the LH flight's schedule.

If the ticket ends in LHR it would seem reasonable for CX to reroute you on one of its own flights direct to LHR, but you'll need to ask CX to do that.

Not sure I understand your itinerary and question.
It seems that you booked a FRA-KUL-FRA ticket with CX in P class. HKG is only a transit.
For some reason, you are ending in LHR on a separate BA ticket. Am I right?

Was the HKG-FRA CX flight cancelled and rebooked on LH codeshared by CX?
On days when CX289 operates it departs within 5 min of LH797 in November. Hence not a major scheduling change. But CX289 is faster than LH797, hence you should arrive some 50min later, hoping that it won't create problem for your BA flight to LHR.

With a P fare you will earn 0 avios and TP on CX, so there is no change if you are moved to LH.

LH A340 has been 2x2x2 in Business for quite a long time. It is not a great business seat and window seats do not have direct aisle access. But it is not the old 2x3x2 seats.

What about lounge access in the Cathay lounge at HKG? Can I still access that?

What I would do is, keep low profile, contact the CX desk (through the means, they contacted you with the proposal, later by email) and find out, what the reason for the change is, it gives the background info for your negotiation. Booking a single leg on (non-OW) LH-J a month out does cost CX probably a fortune, so, if they could do different, they might be willing, etc.

So, IF you have a proposal ready which will be cheaper for CX, IE, own metal, provided not booked full, CX might be willing to consider your proposal. Explain about your final destination (on your own account for FRA-LHR), and give the suggestion, they book you direct HKG-LHR (or maybe MAN), assuming this does connect.

Use EF and matrix to find out the factual flights and seat availability. Since it is CX doing the itinerary change, restrictions around married segments and booking classes are largely not relevant, CX needs a solution, be it the cheapest one for CX. Forget about "points/miles" for your original leg FRA-LHR, these short distances bring hardly any benefit.

Deal with these things at a low profile, understanding their reasons and reasoning, and they will copy back on this, it usually works the best. Don't insist on getting a solution right away, a couple of days more, might give time to settle. Doing so, did bring me redemption tickets between EU and Asia in J (with transit in HKG), 6+ months out, which is generally considered "impossible", though, I got these without a hitch (granted, I am DM, with the 2023 extension already "earned").

Regarding the lounge access, flying CX would give you the MH lounge in KUL and "The Pier" in HKG, not that bad, to put it mildly. LH metal with a currently unknown ticket provider might be a challenge for lounge access in HKG, probably inferior to "The Pier", if access at all.

Regarding the LH seating: Far from CX/SQ quality, though, survivable, not that bad, provided you have a window seat. When you sleep on your left side, go for the A side, otherwise the K side.

Fantastic advice! Thank you! That is really helpful. I am flying with my partner so as long as we are sat together then not bothered about being by a window. Thank you again!

Unlikely. Whenever I have tried to get access to any lounge anywhere "as if" I was still on my original itinerary which had changed, I have never been unsuccessful. Of course a discretionary exception may be made, but I don't fancy your chances.

LH and CX have a very close partnership which extends well beyond mere codesharing.

You have not answered my question, but if you are flying with CX codeshare number, you will have access to the Pier.

After lots of back and forth, Lufthansa have finally given me an option:

Fly economy with Cathay to Frankfurt or stick with my original booking in business with Lufthansa! Who in their right mind would choose this? I wouldn’t be given any compensation for downgrading from business either.

Does anyone have anything further to suggest or should I just accept my original booking and grin-and-bear it?

Your ticket is still on CX stock, right?

Yes

Then, if LH passes it back to CX, shouldn't it be on CX to honour the original fare rules?

This doesn't make sense. You said the ticket was booked with CX, but LH is giving you an option about the booking? I don't think so.

-Chris

The flight that was changed was a Lufthansa codeshare operated by Cathay Pacific