Lufthansa cancelled flights without authorisation

Old Aug 4, 2018, 11:40 am
  #1  
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Angry Lufthansa cancelled flights without authorisation

Hi

I am new on here, but have flown extensively.
I booked return flights from Panama to Frankfurt in March and paid for preferred seating for extra legroom
I noticed a few days ago that the seat configuration had changedandf we no longer had the seats requested.
I contacted Lufthansa and have been passed around all the departments and then decided to apply for an upgrade. All ok so far
Then today I had an email to say my flights have been cancelled and I have been refundedthe tax.
I have other flights with Lufthansa to connect with these on another bookig which haven't been cancelled.

I can't seem to get hold of anyone to help with this. Would anyone have some advise rather than calling their CS department on a weekend?

Thanks so much
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Old Aug 4, 2018, 1:18 pm
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Originally Posted by Smiffster20
Hi

I am new on here, but have flown extensively.
I booked return flights from Panama to Frankfurt in March and paid for preferred seating for extra legroom
I noticed a few days ago that the seat configuration had changedandf we no longer had the seats requested.
I contacted Lufthansa and have been passed around all the departments and then decided to apply for an upgrade. All ok so far
Then today I had an email to say my flights have been cancelled and I have been refundedthe tax.
I have other flights with Lufthansa to connect with these on another bookig which haven't been cancelled.

I can't seem to get hold of anyone to help with this. Would anyone have some advise rather than calling their CS department on a weekend?

Thanks so much
Your flights are a long way off, better to use the online feedback form on LH.com & file a complaint.
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Old Aug 4, 2018, 3:48 pm
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I tried but not answers from anyone
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 12:56 am
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First, I hope that if they cancelled your flight, you would get the full fare back, not only the tax (unless it was a reward flight).
Second, if they cancel the flight, they should provide you with a replacement option that brings you to your destination at around the same time (instead of reimbursement).
Best to call the customer service, since email will take weeks.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 2:45 am
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Originally Posted by Smiffster20
I tried but not answers from anyone
The answer here in red
Originally Posted by Smiffster20
I can't seem to get hold of anyone to help with this. Would anyone have some advise rather than calling their CS department on a weekend?
How were the flights paid for? Money or ff miles? Your credit card?
Reservation made when (a few days ago or months)?
What does the schedule show? Flights on other days?
As the "other flights with Lufthansa to connect with these on another booking" are separate they will not be influenced by another booking.

March 2019 is a lot time away so plenty of time to sort out.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 4:34 am
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Originally Posted by Smiffster20
I tried but not answers from anyone
Sure, it takes LH customer services a long time to reply but at least your complaint is in writing.
Call in to reservations also, they answer promptly
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 5:57 am
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Even far in advanced, Lufthansa is bound by the EU laws to offer a suitable and comparable alternative when they cancel the flights.
Enforcing that law however is a different story, so you may be better off just getting your money back and then booking with a different carrier.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 8:32 am
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I paid via credit card in March
The flights are for October. I noticed our seats which we had paid for were changed without notice and had contacted Lufthansa via email to request them back, I also applied for an upgrade.

The next thing is a few days later I received an email saying the booking had been cancelled. I certainly didn't cancel it but the email implies I did

I have tried online to look at the booking but it says it's cancelled.

We will call CS tomorrow if we don't hear back via email/social media. I just have an idea they will try and blame me for cancelling it
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 8:34 am
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So do you say that the flight is actually happening, they just cancelled your ticket ?
Would be maybe good if you provided more details, like flight numbers and dates...

Also - if they cancelled the flight supposedly since you asked them for, it would make sense that you only got the tax back. But they should have a recording of the call which would then make it clear whether there is ground for the cancellation or not.
All that is best to discuss over phone, I think.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 9:06 am
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LH484 and LH485

17th October and 5th November. Both flights are still available

It says in the cancellation email, that I cancelled it, but I definately didn't. I wonder if it is because I got very cheap flights?
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 9:14 am
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Ok - I guess there is no other way than calling them and telling them you haven't cancelled, so they need to provide evidence as to why they did (I guess someone in the call center misunderstood something - but that should be clarified when they produce the reporting).
Ticket price shouldn't influence this.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 10:21 am
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Thanks, we will try tomorrow, I don't hold out too much hope from what I have read on their CS though
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 10:32 am
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Why dont you copy and paste the body of the email here with any personal information redacted? That will help us see why this might have happened. The wording used by LH may give us a clue.
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 11:44 am
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Wed. 17 October 2018: PANAMA CITY PA - FRANKFURT DE 1​9​:1​5​ hPANAMA CITY PA TOCUMEN INTL (PTY)1​3​:2​0​ h ​​+1FRANKFURT DE FRANKFURT INTL (FRA)
TERMINAL 1LH485operated by: LUFTHANSA CITYLINEStatus: cancelledClass: ECONOMY (K)Free baggage allowance: 1 piece of baggage and 1 piece of hand baggageMon. 05 November 2018: FRANKFURT DE - PANAMA CITY PA 1​0​:4​0​ hFRANKFURT DE FRANKFURT INTL (FRA)
TERMINAL 11​6​:4​0​ hPANAMA CITY PA TOCUMEN INTL (PTY)LH484operated by: LUFTHANSA CITYLINEStatus: cancelledClass: ECONOMY (K)Free baggage allowance: 1 piece of baggage and 1 piece of hand baggageRefundPassenger TypeFare RefundTaxes & Charges RefundPassengersTotal Price of your TicketsAdults0.00 USD179.14 USD2358.28 USDTotal Refund358.28 USDLufthansa Online ServicesYou can view and amend your booking at any time online at lufthansa.com.
You don't need to register to do this; just log in with your booking code and surname.Under Flight Status you can find out about details of your flight from as early as 5 days before departure and activate automatic notifications for up-dated departure information. This applies to all flights that are operated by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Eurowings or Germanwings.Show bookingRebook flightCancel flightHelpWe regret that you cancelled your booking.
Thank your for using our online service.Kind regards
Lufthansa German Airlines
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Old Aug 5, 2018, 11:53 am
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I strongly urge a phone call during regular business hours (in Europe). It is impossible to speculate as to what happened, but all it takes is someone typing the wrong series of keys in searching for seats to wind up cancelling a ticket.

While errors do occur on the phone, it is easy enough to stay on the phone and to reconfirm the details through a readback before terminating the call.

A suggestion: using loaded terms such as "without authorization" is the worst way to handle the call. At least to start, just explain the simple facts and ask how LH will fix the issue. How all of this occurred is irrelevant so long as the tickets are reinstated.
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