weero

Are you suggesting that he did not pay the EUR 745 or that LH doesn't offer fully flexible tix?

fpc552

Is it known if this guy was making special trips to the airport to use the lounge, or was he using the refundable ticket as a form of "lounge membership" when he was at the airport for other flights (in economy)?

Lack

And if LH wasn't already overbooking flights you mean?

YuropFlyer

If he was smart, he would have booked a route which goes often oversold, and get VDB compensation multiple times

(actually, if I think of it, this is a very good idea )

Flying Lawyer

I am suggesting that the court held he is liable for damages because he breached the contract by rebooking 35 times. This was the basis to make him pay for his lounge visits. The lounge visits were however only one Schadenposition and does not prevent LH from making other claims....

Flying Lawyer

I do not mean anything, I simply said that his risk was not limited to costs for lounge access. Flying LH every second day I well see flights fully booked but obviously not overbooked.

Lack

How can he then be held liable for holding sales if LH is actively pursuing the overbooking practice? Even if he changes his ticket right at the gate, he still doesn't displace any other pax.
Asking for damages because of this would be like LH going after the 49E ticket holder on a full flight because there was a pax left on the ground wanting to buy a 745E ticket for a full flight.

weero

The situation is interesting and it shows the failure or bias of the court in two crucial points:

• so there is an upper limit of changes and lounge visits LH intended. Which is it and why was it not deducted from the # of over-uses?
• LH sold the pax a product and he used it in the wrong way in the eyes of the court. How can the cost then be higher than the selling price of the ticket? If anything, should the price not be capped at the agreed and paid price? There must be a considerable wrong-doing on behalf of LH that the damage is larger than the sold price and still the court acts along with the silly notion that the pax used more than was offered to him, ignoring that all these services were offered to him voluntarily.

UltraRant

I think the main point of putting a 55 Euro price on a lounge visit (actual costs for a FQTV- lounge visit: 3 euro or so?) and throwing this in the media is to scare off people who might get interesting ideas. There was a similar case in China recently, I remember. I just don't remember what the outcome there was.

Anyway, 55 euro for a lounge visit which is advertised for 30 euro or so shows how little it takes to impress a German judge. Either that, or he struck a deal with LH.

Nevertheless, I'm actually pretty certain that the pax, despite misusing the facilities offered by LH, didn't do anything against the LH rules. I'm actually surprised that no one else did this before. Or at least didn't make it to the media...

If he flew 34 bookings in Y (given it's not only one way tickets) he would have been M&M silver, which grants him lounge access to the business lounge anyway...

oliver2002

LH presented the customer with a bill for services used, the customer didn't like it. Then LH took him to court and asked for the bill to be paid. The court said LH was justified in presenting the bill and asked him to pay up. I don't see where the 55€ was discussed to be reasonable at any point.

irishguy28

But who said he was flying with Lufthansa or Star Alliance?

YuropFlyer

Let's each take a guest extra to the LH lounges till LH's extra money has been used up

Just guested a "poor" non-status pax into the SEN lounge

N1003U

Yes, but did you know the person? :-)
Well done!

aster

The thing is, can they just demand a big, flat fee for each visit. What if the guy's line of defence is that he only went in for potato chips and water and was mainly there to relax and read the daily press for free?

More importantly, could this guy be a fellow FT'er?

YuropFlyer

I read him complaining about his delayed airplane "live". Sent him a message that I'm inviting him to the lounge if he wants, meet me in 30min in front of the SEN lounge. Worked like a charm

Back to topic:

I doubt him being a FTer. Would have made much less obvious attempts. Like actually fully refunding the tickets after the second time change, booking different carriers (we all know how well the LH IT works with their daughter companies) on LX, OS, LOT etc. or sometimes even totally other alliances.

I mean, why on earth did he do this with the LH Business lounge? He could have bought an EK Business ticket, and done the same Spiel for the really great EK lounge..