opasgirl

Here's an interesting thing that happened to me today. I'm planning a post-cancer trip with my husband and son, and booked our tickets today. I regularly use delta.com, so I consider myself a pretty savvy user, but had difficulty today booking. During the last step, it kept erroring out, but I finally got it booked.

Anyway, my return home starts with a NCE to AMS (2-hr) leg at 6:30am. Normally, that hour wouldn't be something I'd be thrilled about, but Delta's website said it was First Class (we're flying home Premium Select from AMS to MSP), and I thought that we might be able to get a little sleep in first class at that hour. After I booked the ticket, I learned that the NCE to AMS leg was operated by KLM, and I couldn't do the seat assignments in Delta. So I went to KLM.com, which would only let me choose seats in economy.

Thinking this was strange, I called Medallion support. The rep I spoke with got her supervisor to weigh in, and the supervisor said that yes, it was first class, so my rep called KLM to try to get our first class seat assignments. She came back on the line, only to tell me that the fare was economy, and quoted me more than $800 per ticket to "upgrade" to First Class. I politely said that I wasn't really inclined to spend that kind of money (x3) to purchase what I thought I had already purchased...and what Delta said on their website that I already had. (And I have a screenshot of.)

I've sent in an online complaint to Delta, and also sent a note to them via Twitter. I just heard back from someone on Twitter, who said they wouldn't honor the website's indicating of First Class, and that I would indeed have to pay the upgrade if we want to fly First Class. Anyone here have thoughts on the craziness of this and what recourse I have, if any?

TomMM

Don't think you are missing out on anything as I believe KLM's EU business seats are economy seats with the middle seat blocked.

Mr. Tickets

As TomMM says, first class on most KLM flights is economy (3 and 3 seating) with the middle seat blocked. However, many times the inter Europe flights are not available to Delta booked passengers (in “First class”) so it is sold as “Mixed class” and the flights within Europe are economy class.

opasgirl

Interesting. According to seatguru the business seats have more legroom and recline, but they do show that the middle seats are blocked. They're sure charging a premium for them.... That for me still doesn't change my core issue: if Delta commits "First Class," why are they forcing me to settle for economy?

TomMM

What fare class is showing for NCE-AMS? I wonder if it's a display issue. Flying PS would get you a C+ seat on a domestic leg. Maybe DL is mis-interpreting the fare on the KLM segment.

DeltaFan4Now

They generally don't refer to these tickets intra-EU as "First Class", but as "Euro Business" - an indication of the economy pitch, width and with the middle seat blocked...

MSPeconomist

Yes and in fact, KLM doesn't offer FC at all, unlike AF that does have IFC on a few routes.

Assuming that the OP is purchasing a through TATL PS fare, the question is what seating that corresponds to on the intraEU segments operated by KLM.

Alternatively, the OP could try to book the NCE-JFK nonstop operated by DL (which is seasonal but IIRC should be operating by mid-June), although I don't think it has a PS cabin and it tends to generally be expensive because DL can fill it easily with high yield customers.

flyerCO

Are you able to upload the screenshot? Itd help if we could see what you're seeing.

opasgirl

Here’s the screenshot from Delta.

flyerCO

It's confused because of the DL codeshare number. G on an actual DL flight domestic would be first class. What did it show when actually booking? If it showed F then, you have a case for F (which is same coach seats, just a slightly better meal) on this segment.

NCE-JFK will be on an updated 764. Thus has PS cabin.

MSPeconomist

Doesn't DL now use Z I D C J for domestic FC? G is normally the cheapest PS fare class on international, and I haven't seen it offered on my domestic flights for a while now.

This is a shorter but technically international (even if it's intraSchengen) flight, so maybe a better analogy would be to look at the fare classes DL uses for northern South Ameica and similar routes.

opasgirl

When I booked it showed First Class...don’t remember the code letter behind it, but I’m betting it was G. Honestly, the letters mean little to me (too inexperienced), I just focused on the words “First Class.”

flyerCO

You're right. Forgot that G isn't used as F anymore.

What is DL marketed, AF operated IFC coded as? Is it possible G is being in this case

Regardless, I've noticed recently that there seems to be errors in what DL labels the cabin. I'm having trouble booking SAT-ATL-HNL. ATL-HNL is D1, but system provides no D1 tab. Instead it only provides a FC tab with SAT-ATL-HNL listed, but listed as not offered. (Which is correct as it's a D1 route) In order to book have to call in. It then shows up correctly as D1 in the passenger my trip details. Opposite has also occured. Routes without D1 only get a D1 tab, which of course then says "not offered". I've also had AMS-JNB show as Europe Business!

I noticed these issues come up with frequency starting with recent IT updates.

CarmenOM

Since it’s just a two hour flight and even if you get first class, it just means the empty seat in the middle, I would be inclined to let this one go. If you manage to convince Delta and KLM to change you to first class, it won’t really make that much difference in your flight experience.

Billy Mumphrey

I've found the Euro Business flights on KLM always get a meal, even short ones like this. For a morning flight I'd expect some yogurt, cheese, fruit cup and a roll. KLM is also excellent about holding the overhead space for Euro Business passengers. And the open middle seat is nice, but not nearly as nice as Delta F.

Euro Business is nice when it's tacked onto a transatlantic business award for no additional miles, but it's really not worth all that much. If I were the OP, I would accept the Y seat and focus on getting some sort of customer service gesture for the bait-and-switch. I think some Delta dollars would be more useful, and more realistic, than trying to get into Euro Business.