LH cancelation and rebooking rant
 

A few items I am not entirely sure about, but mostly just wanting to write down my frustration.

I was on my way back from LUX to DEN through FRA. I had booked it in economy plus for some extra leg room since I am tall and my knees started hurting on longer flights in recent years. It was snowing that day, so I was a little concerned, but when I checked online as well as when I arrived at LUX airport most flights were on time with only one or two showing a delay as far as I remember.

My flight to FRA was 11:30. LUX is a small airport so I arrived around 9:45. I had to check a bag so I got in the LH line to drop the bag, thats when the flight status for my flight changed to "canceled" without any explanation. Well crap. I was already in line, so I guess I just wait here until I get to the counter agent. The line was moving super slow and I got there around 10:15. The agent punches in my information and told me LH already re-booked me on an alternative connection. Without waiting she grabs my bag throws it into the conveyor belt, hands me a bunch of tickets and tells me with great urgency "You have to leave right now, your flight leaves at 10:30. You have to rush to get to the gate before they close it. I will call them to wait for you. You will still get to your destination today."

Of I run without really looking at what I was handed.Security shuffled me to the front. Rush. Rush. I get to the gate. Phew I made it! Where am I going? Zurich... hmm ok. I finally get to take a look at my new itinerary once on board. I am going to SFO? and then from SFO to DEN? oh and on Swiss Air? and now the kicker. all in regular economy in middle row seats....

I wasn't mentally prepared for that. My one change trip with a 9-9.5 hr direct flight in premium economy had just changed to a 3 leg trip with a 12 hr flight from ZRH to SFO in a middle seat in economy. And after that I wasn't even home.. still had to go on a 2.5 hr UAL flight from SFO to DEN (also in economy middle seat). And everyone knows how pleasant United flights are.

I immediately called LH while we were still waiting for de-icing on the runway in LUX. After listening to my plight, the agent told me there is nothing they can do since I am already on the plane and I should talk to a LH agent in ZRH to see if they can change anything. Super, but I only have 30 minute transit in ZRH. I get to ZRH. there is no LH desk, only a Swiss Air desk... they just shrug their shoulders, LH booked this, nothing we can do. Upgrade? You have to talk to LH, nothing we can do. You have to hurry to catch your flight.... Ugh

I called my booking agent (AMEX travel) and they told me basically the same thing. Nothing we can do, you have to talk to LH. Called LH again. Can I at least get an upgrade, more legroom, compensation, points, a pina colada? Nothing we can do from here Sir, you have to talk to a local LH agent.....There are none in ZRH. Argh. ok, more rushing to get to gate. The local Swiss gate agent was the only one who had some pity on me and gave me another economy seat as apparently the seat LH booked me on didn't even have a functioning entertainment system. Still middle row seat though.

I guess if you are expecting to be on a 12 hr torture tour between two large individuals who are spilling into your seats, it can lessen the pain a bit, but despite Swiss Air probably being a very nice airline, it wasn't pleasant. United of course just laughed at me and told me to .... off when I asked them if there was any other seat available from SFO to DEN.

Now some actual questions/confirmations. I guess I ....ed up when I took the tickets the counter agent in LUX gave me to still catch the initial flight? Once I got on the flight, LH can wash their hands in innocence? I accepted their re-booking from a long haul flight in premium economy to a journey through hell so they are off the hook? Can I ask for any compensation since economy is clearly cheaper than premium economy? Swiss air doesn't have premium economy, so I guess their argument is going to be "hey it has economy in the name, just like your ticket"?

Lessons learned 1..... you LH, just like all other airlines you don't give a .... about your customers; 2. Always check your re-booking before you start running, regardless of how urgent the ticket agent makes it out to be.

The OP was not downgraded but was rebooked due to flight cancellation, albeit in a lower booking class.

3. Call the airline while you are standing in line for 30 minutes...?

Was it Economy Plus (that's what you called it in your first post) or was it Premium Economy? Makes a fairly significant difference I would think...

While technically you are right, I am fairly sure it felt like a downgrade....

I feel your pain. I'm a big fan of premium economy, but whenever something goes wrong (cancellation, missed connection etc) it seems the standard approach (on LH, AF, and DL in my experience) is to downgrade to economy and get you on your way as fast as possible.... It would never happen this way if you were booked in business class. I guess the reasons are small cabins (often fully booked) and the fact that PE is only available on a limited number of airlines. Still I would at least like to be given the choice of the next available flight in premium economy, instead of a straight rebooking into economy middle seat.

One thing you can do is download the LH app, or at least provide your mobile phone number in the booking. At least then you will know as soon as possible that LH has rebooked you, and can see the full details.

Does UA fly FRA-DEN?
I thought this route is only served by LH. Most likely OP was ticketed in Premium Economy.
Hence, OP has the right to get 75% refund of the FRA-DEN segment. Air carrier surcharges are included in the refund, as well.

For the next time:
As the original flight was cancelled, you have the right to demand a reroute, which has a timing of your convenience (subject to availability of physical seats).
You had to right to refuse the reroute via ZRH, SFO - without forfeiting your ticket.

UA doesn't fly FRA-DEN, so I believe the OP was booked on the LH flight to DEN in Prem. Economy - that would also fit with a 11:30 dept. from LUX.

Anyway, whilst the OP was indeed entitled to insist on a different routing with LH or another carrier with Prem. Economy, the OP didn't discuss this with the check-in agent at LUX but merely accepted to travel with Swiss via SFO. Whilst I understand that the OP was in a hurry to catch the Swiss flight, it would have taken the OP max 5 seconds to have a closer look at the BPs received from the check-in agent and realising that he was in Economy with Swiss to SFO. First after the Swiss flight had left the gate (i.e. travel had commenced) the OP became fully aware of his new itinerary and questioned it - but then it was too late as the OP had already accepted the new itinerary and travel was commenced.

So to sum up: This is not invol. downgrade (there is no downgrade because the OP was rebooked to new flights with Swiss and the OP traveled as ticketed for the Swiss flights) and the OP was too late in objecting to the new routing. I'm sorry, but any claim for refund of fare or compensation under EU Reg. 261/04 is bound to fail.

I do not agree.
For the downgrade refund calculation only the orginal ticket (LH LUX-FRA-DEN) counts to determine in which original travel class the OP was booked in.
The travel class of the replacement ticket doesn't matter. It matters in which travel class the OP did end up in the end.
Even if can be argued that the OP accepted the rerouting, it doesn't forfeit his right for downgrade compensation.

If you line of argumentation is valid:
Each airline would circumvent the downgrade compensation by just cancelling the original ticket and issueing a new (lower travel class) ticket on a new flight. And because the new ticket is in the lower travel class, the passenger was not downgraded.

This won't fly in a court of law.

OP has either supplied incomplete or inaccurate information and that matters a great deal. Rather than worrying about pina coladas, it would be most helpful if OP would provide the exact and accurate details. Any discussion of compensation and alternatives really is not helpful until that point.

As I read it, the original flights were delayed due to weather & OP would have been stranded in FRA otherwise.

If OP had been rebooked in PE (s)he would have arrived a lot later & with no compensation/only duty of care under EU261 as the reason was weather related.

In this case, in my opinion, OP accepted a voluntary downgrade from PE to Y which allowed him/her to arrive same day, albeit later than planned.

While not communicated as such, it was weither downgrade and fly, or get stranded with a meal voucher & hotel bed, or worst case a stretcher in a corridor at FRA.

Sounds harsh but lesson learned I hope, especially lesson 3 added by Oliver2002.

Weather is not always an extraordinary circumstance. We are not in the US.
Snow in Helsinki; Fog in London -> not extraordinary;

A downgrade refund is not waived because of extraordinary circumstances.