michy6195

I'm a United mileage plus member, I booked a round trip ticket on United.com from EWR to NBO (connect through FRA). The FRA-NBO and NBO-FRA were LH operated. I went to check in for my return flight and got an error on the LH site. Called United and they informed me that 5 days prior someone at LH had cancelled my ticket for the NBO to FRA leg, they think it was revenue management. What sort of recourse should I expect from LH for this? I had a regional flight from MBA-NBO that I had to change, ended up flying into the regional airport due to fuel issues (strike at NBO last week), had to take a taxi to NBO. I ended up having to take a separate flight (both legs, rerouted NBO-DAR-ZRH-EWR) from my SO. Overall, huge pain. Ended up having a friend who was United Global services call on my behalf, otherwise I would have been stuck in NBO for a couple days.

Often1

It is really hard to help because you have not supplied critical details. Nobody here can give useful advice until you do.

1. Did you ever receive an e-ticket confirmation from UA? Be certain that this is an e-ticket receipt, not simply a reservation. The e-ticket receipt will have a number in the form of XXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (3 digits followed by 14 digits).. Don't post the number here as it is private, but do tell us whether you have one.
2. When did you book the ticket?
3. When was it ticketed?
4. When did you learn of the cancellation?
5. When is your travel (both xx EWR and the return).

All of this will determine what there is to be done, what you may require and what you may ask for.

michy6195

1. Since I was checking in for the return leg of a roundtrip ticket, which implies I already executed the first half of the itinerary, I didn't think I needed to explicitly say I had an e-ticket confirmation.
4: "I went to check in for my return flight and got an error on the LH site. Called United and they informed me that 5 days prior someone at LH had cancelled my ticket for the NBO to FRA leg, they think it was revenue management."
5: The trip was already executed " I ended up having to take a separate flight" ...

SK AAR

Apparently, something went wrong when UA ticketed this or UA failed to pay LH for the segment used. Hardly anything to blame LH for.

michy6195

Thanks for the actually helpful answer, I've never had an issue like this and both UA and LH seem to be pointing fingers at each other.

Often1

Thank for the information. The specifics always matter and inferences are a bad idea.

The operating carrier of your cancelled flight was LH and you were notified of the cancellation when you checked in e.g., 24 hours or less prior to travel. Thus, for an EU carrier traveling to the EU, you may be entitled to claim EU 600 for being involuntarily denied boarding as well as an additional EUR 300 or 600 (depending on how long a delay you ultimately encountered at your final ticketed destination, e.g. EWR.

It indeed UA failed to pay for your ticket, then it is possible that LH has a defense. As EC 261/2004 only applies to the operating carrier and, in any event UA is not an EU carrier and this was a flight to the EU, UA will not be a source of the between EUR 600 - 1,200. I would file the claim with LH nonetheless. At a minimum, you will receive a response and that may or may not include a useful explanation on which you can act (or not).

Once you have the response from LH, you might consider filing a complaint with UA. While UA will not owe you any compensation, it might offer some reasonable customer service gesture. But, I would hold on that until you have a response from LH.

cas_de

Three years ago I had a case where we (me, Mrs. & jr) were travelling on an award ticket issued by UA and the return segment to Germany was op by AI (SIN-DEL-FRA-MUC). AI couldn't check us in since they didn't have a ticket for our reservation. Turned out (thanks to some helpful post mortem information from Oliver2002) that UA didn't transfer the coupons to AI (or the coupons got stuck somewhere on the way). In the end we needed to get rebooked on LH (SIN-FRA-GVA-MUC). Maybe something similar did happen in your case (maybe).

I did reach out to UA and we got $200 vouchers each. Far from what you'd get via EC261/2004, but better than nothing.

SpewyMcSpew

Sounds like a technical error with the reservation. UA doesn't pay LH and vice versa until the coupons are flown.

SK AAR

Yes, I can imagine this will be the situation. LH replying that that the ticket was not valid or the reservation was un-ticketed (in their system) - and UA promising that everything was OK and it was not the fault of UA. Good luck!

There is no basis for claiming comp. for denied boarding from LH if there was a technical error on the part of UA and LH couldn't see the ticket in their system. You can't blame LH for denying check-in if there was no ticket.

Often1

All correct. But, OP will never get the full story unless he makes the claim.

Unfortunately for OP, he cannot make a claim against UA as it was not the operating carrier, is not an EU carrier, and the flight was not departing the EU.

oliver2002

You have to make United fix it as they are the owner of the ticket. If LH canceled the reservation for a segement for whatever reason United notices and needs to either sort it out with LH or contact the customer and arrange for an alternative.

warakorn

It will be tough for LH to argue in a Cologne court that there was no ticket, if the OP was already allowed to fly FRA-NBO on LH.
Basically LH has to explain why there was a ticket FRA-NBO, but not NBO-FRA -> and the passenger is presenting one e-ticket receipt, which shows both segments (FRA-NBO and NBO-FRA). Some fingerpointing to UA won't help LH in this case.

Again -> for me it is a clear case:
LH owes OP EUR 600 EC261/2004 compensation + the full cost of the replacement ticket.

Often1

Tickets are cancelled tens of thousands of times per day.

If UA, perhaps erroneously, did something to cancel the ticket, then so far as LH is concerned, it is cancelled.

LH will in that case have nothing to explain in Cologne or elsewhere.

Sometimes it is best to get the facts first.

cfischer

someone screwed up, that's for sure. Maybe it was UA, maybe it was LH. Given the hilarious lies I have heard from UA in recent weeks (luckily the DOT cleared that all up!) ... I would not trust that 'someone at LH cancelled things'. The operating carrier is in charge, so you should submit your claim towards LH ... it will be interesting to see how this plays out.