JamesHNL

I will be flying IST-FRA-SFO with an overnight connection in FRA on a UA ticket. The first flight is on LH and the second is on UA. Unfortunately the first flight gets in late into FRAj and I wanted to get in earlier for a decent dinner. What are the chances LH will let me take an earlier flight from IST? Should I just show up at the airport to try and standby?

LukasVIE

...slim to non-existent

Unless you have a flexible ticket they won't let you standby for an earlier flight, don't waste your time at the airport

klakhav

My expeirence has been that UA prefers no changes be made on the ticket and even LH would not allow standby. The two systems do not share a common thread so if there is a change on a UA ticket, then UA will have to make that change and forward new ticket to LH. If it is LH ticket, then LH can make the change.

I know it sounds confusing and I had a bad experience in FRA on this matter. LH would not let me take an earlier flight as my ticket was for a later flight becuase it was a UA ticket and ticket number.

SK2751

Most european airlines would hardly ever allow you to fly earlier, unless you have an expensive flexible ticket (and even that may require paying a fare difference). This is sadly a downside to flying in Europe.

Recently, earlier connections only were offerred to me, when it was already known at check in time that I will miss my connecting flights, and I would incur cost for the carrier, if they did not let me fly earlier.

Yes, I know. This is not as nice as in Americas.

dingo

I'm not that familiar with M&M or Lufthansa.

I booked a StarAlliance award via USAir on Lufthansa for CLT - MUC - PRG. Originally I was in coach, but two business seats opened up a week out and I pounced on them.

Now I realize that I have a 7 hour layover in Munich instead of the original 3 hours I had on the coach award...ugh.

I will try to call USAir tomorrow to see if I can make a ticket change, but I don't want to risk losing our business seats.

If the US agent balks or scares me, what is LH's policy for standby on award tickets? Or is there another route I could take (calling them directly) to try to get this confirmed before we even leave?

Unterwegs

Lufthansa usually does not allow standby on awards (and also no routing change). I believe you need to go thru US to have your ticket changed. Seems your best bet is calling US

RTW1

You indeed need to call US... and since there's a flight to PRG about every 3 hours that shouldn't be a problem.

dingo

Is there risk of losing ny biz seats in the process?

I wonder if I got the later flight bc they didn't have biz on the muc to prg leg on the earlier one. I dont care where I sit on that one but maybe? So id need them to give me a coach seat on the biz class award.

RTW1

Normally plenty of Business seats on these routes available.... especially since it's the exact same seat, just with an empty seat next to you. Should there be no C seats available just take an Y one, doesn't really matter for this short a flight. You might miss out on lounge access however.

dingo

Sorry, I'd meant losing my CLT - MUC business seats...how adept SHOULD the agents be at making a change to a portion of the itin without having to cancel and rebook?

RTW1

It's easy for them to make the change.... you have to get a really dumb one who screws up. But if you want guarantees don't change the ticket.
Although 7 hours at MUC isn't great, it's also not that bad.

dingo

Was easy...thanks for the reassurance. Don't know why they gave me 7 hours compared to 3. MUC isn't bad, but I'd trade it for 3 more hours in Prague.

mavit12

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the UA SDC thread, but my experience yesterday was very surprising to me.

I was flying on a ticket purchased on the UA website (W class), SFO->LHR->MUC, the first leg on UA, second on LH metal. I was originally booked on a later MUC connection (20:15), but the SFO->LHR connection was scheduled to land at 14:00 and so I knew I had a chance to make the 15:30 LH departure to MUC. I thought I would have to pay for it, though, as all experiences I have had trying to get on an earlier flight operated by LH have been completely futile.

Anyways, I arrived at LHR and after going through security in Terminal 1, went straight to the UA counter. (As the ticket was purchased through UA, I assumed they would have to initiate the change.) The agent took my ticket and said I was likely too late, since it was at that point < 1 hr until departure. UA couldn't do anything about it at this point, but I could try to ask LH. He said, he expected I would have to pay if they allowed it all. I thanked him, and went right next door to the LH desk. I handed the LH agent the ticket, explaining what I wanted to check. She also said, it's a bit late and if it would work I would have to pay a change fee as she thought that was necessary on a W fare. She then said, however, that she would simply try. As she was typing away, I saw her face light up with a bit of surprise and the printer began spitting out a new boarding card. She really couldn't believe it and thought I might have problems at the gate, but we both agreed it was worth the try. Long story short, no problems at the gate and I ended up arriving 2.5 hours early.

I am really curious what happened since the ticket class would normally not allow this. When something unexpected happens to my itinerary, I'm usually quite concerned as it can affect later flights if something gets "corrupted", but this was the last flight on the ticket. Anyone have any ideas how this was possible? Did the agent just accidentally brute force the ticket change through? (The resulting board card did list the class as W, not as Y.)

RTW1

Don't question why, just enjoy the fact you were lucky this time :-).

I guess you didn't have any checked bags?

mavit12

Right, no checked bags.

I *certainly* didn't question once getting the ticket at LHR and I enjoyed my middle seat on the 1.5 hour flight. :-) Mere curiosity, I guess.