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Lufthansa’s latest way to annoy customers: constant seat changes

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Old Jun 21, 2019, 2:16 pm
  #1  
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Lufthansa’s latest way to annoy customers: constant seat changes

Friday 21st June. LH1796 MUC-FAO

Checked in online 24 hours before departure and took seat 6D. Business class was rows 1-4 with 3 seats taken only. Economy was from row 5 backwards, an A321.

8 hours before departure and my 6D has become 12D. Business class has been expanded back to include row 11. Business class still only has 3 passengers and economy now only has a few spare seats.

On boarding, no surprises, 5 total passengers in business class still extending to include row 11. A few free middle seats in Economy otherwise everybody squished in.

I fly this route very regularly and this is the 2nd time in as many weeks that I observe this.

This feels like a deliberate ploy to increase discomfort as an incentive to encourage business class bookings. Well, dear Lufthansa, not here. Terrible.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 2:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Tafflyer
Friday 21st June. LH1796 MUC-FAO

Checked in online 24 hours before departure and took seat 6D. Business class was rows 1-4 with 3 seats taken only. Economy was from row 5 backwards, an A321.

8 hours before departure and my 6D has become 12D. Business class has been expanded back to include row 11. Business class still only has 3 passengers and economy now only has a few spare seats.

On boarding, no surprises, 5 total passengers in business class still extending to include row 11. A few free middle seats in Economy otherwise everybody squished in.

I fly this route very regularly and this is the 2nd time in as many weeks that I observe this.

This feels like a deliberate ploy to increase discomfort as an incentive to encourage business class bookings. Well, dear Lufthansa, not here. Terrible.

Maybe the return leg had a large number of business class customers, so they needed to move the partition and didn't want to do it at FCO.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 3:12 pm
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You booked Y and an aisle seat in the front of the Y section and got Y and an aisle seat in front of the Y section. Nothing
to complain about. If you want to have the seat next to you empty, book C. That's the commercially logical thinking of LH.

Last edited by athome; Jun 21, 2019 at 6:10 pm
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 3:42 pm
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This has been standard procedure for quite a while. My guess is that they move the curtain back to increase the load factor. I can't count how many times I have been moved back due to the cabin divider having been moved back and C being as empty you can possibly imagine.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 6:00 pm
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Originally Posted by tods27
Maybe the return leg had a large number of business class customers, so they needed to move the partition and didn't want to do it at FCO.
I was the only pax in C on FRA-MAN recently and the curtain was behind Row 14 (A321). Asked why and the cabin crew told me they expected a full C cabin on the way back.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 9:12 pm
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Originally Posted by worldclubber


I was the only pax in C on FRA-MAN recently and the curtain was behind Row 14 (A321). Asked why and the cabin crew told me they expected a full C cabin on the way back.
Of course they would say that. Sounds better than "we try to squeeze everyone together to increase the load factor and to make business class more exclusive". The curtain dividers are designed to be moved easily.

HTB.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 9:32 pm
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Any chance it has to do with weight & balance ?
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 10:02 pm
  #8  
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Wow, that's a mean airline...I pride myself for never having to fly them...So sorry you have to deal with them on a regular basis...
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 10:53 pm
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Originally Posted by nk15
Wow, that's a mean airline...I pride myself for never having to fly them...So sorry you have to deal with them on a regular basis...
Why it is "mean" when you get, what you pay for?
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 11:06 pm
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Originally Posted by athome
Why it is "mean" when you get, what you pay for?
They go out of their way to make Y passengers cramped and uncomfortable, so they don't experience any naturally/randomly occurring comfort (random empty seats around them), that may somewhat resemble the J product, this is next level mean stuff....If that was done on purpose....
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 11:25 pm
  #11  
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I suggest you write in and complain about this behavior, they need to know that they are being ridiculous...You need to nip this in the bud before it starts spreading to other airlines, lol...
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Old Jun 22, 2019, 12:49 am
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nk15, your statement is b....
Would you call AA a mean airline, because they do not give me a specious First class seat, although I just have paid for Y?
Or asking the question the other way around. Why should somebody pay for C or F, if a Y customer gets the same benefits?
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Old Jun 22, 2019, 1:01 am
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Originally Posted by cas_de
My guess is that they move the curtain back to increase the load factor.
Wouldn't that just make the load factor in C look terrible though? A bit self defeating.
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Old Jun 22, 2019, 1:21 am
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There have been posts on this topic for as long as I have been looking on this website.

I think it must be due to the return loads in C - if LH thought they could improve their business class sales by making Y uncomfortable there are many many more things they would do first. At the very least they wouldn't block the neighboring seat for SEN if they really wanted them to buy business class to get the seat free.
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Old Jun 22, 2019, 3:01 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by athome
nk15, your statement is b....
Would you call AA a mean airline, because they do not give me a specious First class seat, although I just have paid for Y?
Or asking the question the other way around. Why should somebody pay for C or F, if a Y customer gets the same benefits?
He isn't asking for a free upgrade to J. So it's really not the same at all as what you're proposing. If the flight happens to go out half full, why shouldn't coach passengers benefit from the unexpectedly light load? They aren't paying for Y and getting C, they just might have an empty seat next to them since there aren't many pax.
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