Just sent you PM

So I called bmi (it's a redemption ticket) and they told me to contact LH.

On LH.com I noticed the following:

http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...l=en&cid=18002

But LH's arrival and departure information page still says my flights tomorrow morning are on schedule. Where should I go for confirmation that my flights (at least the MAN-FRA segment which departs at 0600 UTC) will be cancelled?

I want to re-book for Sunday or even Monday if possible!

Update1: I tried to call the UK SEN line number and after several recorded messages and the LH tune the line went dead. :td: I also tried the UK reservation number and a recorded message told me they were unable to support me due to a higher than expected demand. :td: I'll now have to try a German number. If LH updates the flight schedule there shouldn't be a need for me to call. :(

Update2: Called Kassel - they are unable to confirm my morning flight has been cancelled despite the announcement on LH.com. :(

Update3: Received an SMS that my MAN-FRA flight in the morning has been cancelled. What a relief! :rolleyes:

Update4: Called the bmi call centre. The earliest they can offer me is 20 April. I'm scheduled to return on 21st. :(

Update5: Another SMS received confirming cancellation of the connecting flight ex-FRA. At least an improvement on last night when SMSs arrived around 23:00 for morning departures.

To answer my own question, I can only cancel with refund once the flight has officially been canceled. That's what Capetown told me (I got through surprisingly fast after 10 minutes wait from NL and the agent was stressed but very friendly). But their inflexibility puts me in tough position, as my ticket is paid by a third party. By the time the flight gets canceled, it might be too late to get a train ticket with a seat reservation (and I won' t stand for six hours). It is obvious by now that flight oprations won't be back to normal until Monday, the earliest, even if flight operations start again tomorrow afternoon and probably half the AMS-FRA flights will be canceled. Why can they not just allow passengers to cancel with refund for the next three days, like U.S. carriers would do it?

Of course they can. You just need an agent with some good will, so keep trying.

Belgian airspace is closed until 17 April 10:00AM
 

Belgian airspace is closed until 17 April 10:00AM due to a huge volcanic ash cloud drifting over Belgium. If you are booked on a flight on 15, 16 or 17 April, click here for more information.
Latest update: 16/04/2010 at 3.00PM

Due to volcanic ash cloud caused by the eruption of volcano Ayjafjallajokull in Iceland, we would like to inform you that, until further notice, the Belgian airspace remains closed today, Friday April 16th until tomorrow, Saturday April 17th 10:00AM local time. Therefore, Brussels Airlines will cancel all its flights until then.

We strongly advise you not to travel this weekend.

For all CANCELLED flights on April 15th, 16th and 17th 2010, our booked passengers have the right to choose for the following alternatives:
· free change of reservation to a later flight and/or date (destination must be the same or nearest by destination). We recommend to rebook on flights as from 21 April 2010 due to the heavy impact of the current cancellations. No penalty applies even to the most restrictive tickets.
In case the first segment of your ticket has not been flown, the return segment remains valid.

· rebooking is allowed on Brussels Airlines operated flights (also for b.light economy passengers) in the same cabin: business or economy

· refund of your ticket - if you want to avoid possible long waiting times on the phone, we advise you to request your refund online by filling in the following form: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_b...nd-refund.aspx

Please check back regularly to read our latest updates.

Rebooking your flight can be done at the Brussels Airlines ticketing desk at the airport, our Customer Contact Center (tel. +32 (0)2 723 23 62 or 078 18 88 89) or via your travel agency. Your reservation can not be changed online.

With these measures Brussels Airlines wants to offer a flexible and free alternative to our customers.

Due to the high number of calls, we kindly ask you to be patient when contacting us. If you can not get through today, please call back later. We thank you for your understanding and we apologize for the inconvenience.

ZRH closed from midnight tonight until 9am Saturday at least.

From LH's web page:

"Like all other airlines, Lufthansa must comply with directives issued by ministries and air traffic control. Many European airports have closed. All German airports are closed until further notice. Munich airport is expected to close at 1800 UTC. All flights within Europe are cancelled till Saturday, 17th April 2010, ca. 1000 UTC. Passengers who have booked flights from the above-mentioned airports are requested not to travel to the airport [...]"

Good luck to everyone who planned to travel this week.

Any idea how this applies to award tickets? I had redeemed 120k miles for a return business-class ticket from HKG to BSL via MUC.

My flight was originally scheduled for Sunday, but has now been cancelled. I was told that the earliest opportunity to get back to Switzerland was HKG-BKK-ZRH, with a train ride at the end to take me to Basel.

Now since Thailand is in a different region from HKG and BSL, they're asking me for an extra 40k miles. I tried to pull the Senator card, but that didn't have much of an effect. The thing is, if I'd bought the ticket, there would be no such additional charge.

Useful tips to avoid the surcharge would be appreciated.

Printout the EU 261 and try again.

They even on the LH-page here: http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...l=en&cid=18002

"
Cancellation

If your flight, for which you hold a valid reservation, is cancelled, you are entitled to re-routing, care, refund and compensation as laid out here above. You are not entitled to receive a compensation if the cancellation is attributed to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Examples include bad weather conditions, political instability, strikes, security, risks, unexpected flight safety shortcomings.
Equally, there is no right to compensation when the passenger has been informed of the cancellation:


* at least 14 days before the schedule time of departure
* between 14 and 7 days before the schedule time of departure and the alternative flight departs no more than 2 hours before the originally schedule time of departure and reaches the final destination less than 4 hours after the schedule time of arrival
* less than 7 days before schedule time of departure and the alternative flight departs no more than 1 hour before the originally schedule time of departure and reaches final destination less than 2 hours after the schedule time of arrival.

"

So no compensation of course but re-routing and care.

Hi all,

I am really sorry for my lack of updates around here so far today - I have been in multiple meetings of course and during the day received about a million updates.

Some points:

1) Change of booking class (within same cabin) was authorized before lunchtime ET today.

2) I just posted an update to flight schedules from the Americas which is also on LH.com. It is now easier to communicate the flights which WILL operate than those that won't...

3) 401/16APR, although it was originally reinstated, is now canceled for sure.

4) We are really, REALLY busy, even more so than with the strike IMO. Your patience is so appreciated.

I will post whenever I can and maybe this weekend I can see if my system will support FT chat, if any of you are interested in using that as a sort of Q&A instead of posts/emails/PMs? Just an idea.

Hang in there! You're doing great.


Best,
Michelle

You too Michelle, as always!

^ Michelle

Mieko, you have email from me.

Is this valid for X,I or O as well?

Danau
 

I just got to the Lufthansa website and it told me that LH441 out of Houston tomorrow afternoon at 4:35 PM is still on schedule. Can this be confirmed> It also told me only flights through noon tomorrow are the ones that are impacted by this problem (so far). Can this be confirmed also?