BigFlyer

My ex was flying Business Class from ZRH to SFO on LH via FRA on Sunday. The flight into ZRH was delayed due to weather and she missed the FRA-SFO flight. After waiting in line for 2 hours to be rebooked at FRA, she was offered the choice of a coach flight to San Francisco on that day (Sunday), or flying Business the next day. She opted to fly coach that day as she needed to be back for work.

What type of compensation is she entitled to, and how does she get it? Someone at LH in FRA told her it was not considered an involuntary downgrade as she was offered a seat in Business for the next day but she opted for the same day coach flight. I can't imagine that rational decision would result in her being denied compensation.

SK AAR

Sorry to confirm the message that your ex already received. This is not a denied boarding situation; She was offered to fly the following day in C but choose to rebooked in Y to get to SFO faster. It is irrelevant to LH that she was unable to accept the rebooking for the following day. Denied boarding would require that she had been rebooked for the flight in C but traveled in Y.

Unfortunately, there is no claim for delay as she misconnected at FRA due to adverse weather.

BigFlyer

I know there is no DBC in a situation like this - but doesn't se get compensation for the fact that she paid for a Business ticket but flew coach?

chris63

Yes, that’s correct, travel insurance that covers disruption of this type could have helped. also it’s good of you proactively search for alternative flights in J

SK AAR

Why? If pax accepts to fly in Y rather than C there is no refund due.

This is no different to a situation where a C class pax arrive at the airport early and ask to travel on the earlier flight but has to accept to travel in Y to be accommodated on the earlier flight.

chris63

You can always ask but weather is not the airlines responsibility, this is where travel insurance is necessary to recover costs or increased costs

BigFlyer

No, the situation is entirely different.

In your hypothetical, the passenger wants to fly earlier, but the booked flight is still available. The passenger is making a choice to take an earlier flight than booked.

In the situation I described, the passenger wanted to fly as close to the original time as possible, but that was not available in Business, and the passenger would have had to stay overnight in order to fly Business class.

chris63

Everyone would want that outcome but the airline was not responsible for the initial problem, maybe there were other J flights on other carriers that LH were not prepared to rebook the pax to, for additional costs & expenses you need appropriate travel insurance

SK AAR

But there is no add. costs or expenses incurred so nothing to be indemnified for under a travel insurance. No insurance company is going to compensate the difference between C class and Y, also because the pax could have avoided the situation by accepting the initial rebooking made by LH, i.e. triggered the "loss" by requesting to be put on a same day flight. No sane travel insurance will accept to indemnify for this.

daniellam

Couldn't your ex have simply decided to miss work for one day and fly back the next day in C? I doubt her employer would ask for proof that she would have been able to get home the same day had she flew Y! A simple "due to bad weather, I missed my connecting flight in FRA..." would have worked.

When you go on trips, things happen (especially due to weather delays)!

If I have something important at work (such as a meeting), I would always plan to arrive home 1-2 days before in the first place.

mctaste

Passenger chose to fly coach rather than wait a day. Could have gone for a nice walk in Frankfurt and enjoyed a grilled halloumi sandwich from a street cart!

nancypants

I mean it’s not compensation but she’ll surely be entitled to some EC261 downgrade reimbursement, won’t she?!

SK AAR

She could request a fare difference refund but I wouldn't get my hopes too high. Most likely she has been booked into a expensive last minute Y fare, which may even be more expensive than the C fare paid. I doubt that there is something to refund.

Stop using the word "downgrade" and in particular "invol. downgrade" pls. There was nothing involuntary about this (apparently, she asked to moved from the flight in C the following day to a same day flight in Y - that is not invol!) and it is not a downgrade - it is a rebooking due to adverse weather where the OP had to/choose to travel in Y for her own convenience (to get to SFO faster).

chris63

Indeed but if the pax found another flight on same day in J my travel insurance would cover that difference

Often1

The terms matter here.
1. No, thee is no compensation for a downgrade.
2. Yes, the passenger is due a refund of the fare difference between the fare she paid and the fare she flew. That may well be a minimal amount of money, but it is contractually due her.
3. No, she is not due a refund under EC 261/2004 as she was offered a reroute in C.

It really isn't the place of anyone here to criticize the passenger for not taking the downgrade. Not surprisingly, there are people with responsibilities -- job and personal -- who are not in a position to lie around for an extra day and simply let it go at that. It's a personal choice and one which many busy people would make as the passenger did.