oliver2002

Right noe flights are late over the atlantic because they have fly around the ashcloud...

LGACIC

Picking up one of the OP's earlier threads ...

I'm flying CLT-MUC-ARN next month, with a 1-hour layover in MUC. I was hoping to quickly pop out of the airport in MUC to shop at a wonderful children's store I've been to before. I don't need to be in ARN until late that evening. Any chance I could miss my cx, claim "long passport line" (the layover is only an hour after all) and catch the later ARN flight?

Flying Lawyer

I would not take the risk

LGACIC

No? Good chance they would cancel my MUC-ARN portion? Would my return be at risk as well?

GK1998

If you're willing to pay for a new ticket, go ahead

SK AAR

I hope that you will not get away with this and LH will cancel your remaining flights. Did you consider that you will be delaying the MUC-ARN flight by deliberately no-showing? The flight and all pax, many of whom risk loosing their onward connections from ARN, will be waiting for you; your bag will have to be unloaded, the flight needs to get a new slot out of MUC, etc.
A rather selfish act; and in order to visit a children’s store... come on!

supermasterphil

Absolutely agree.

In today's world, you can order anything from everywhere over the web. No need to delay a flight and get yourself a ticket canceled.

oliver2002

You could ask at the gate of your original flight if they can rebook you. I've seen them try to accomodate requests, especially if they are oversold.@:-)

I would definitely avoid doing a no-show for your flight. It will not delay the operations (ie LH is not going to disturb their operations for you not showing up) but it will cost you a pretty penny to rebook.

If this MUC-ARN is the last leg of your journey and you don't have luggage, you could skip the last leg and buy a last minute ticket from L'tur. A return costs about 168€ if there is availability in the booking class 'S'.

LGACIC

Wow, thanks for the kind reception in the Miles & More forum. I'm sorry that you don't find my desire to go to the MUC children's store - one of the few chances I have to get my daughter German-language books - so inconsiderable. I won't be checking a bag, and, in my experience LH (or other airlines) don't let their flights leave late for one misconnect. If I had been able to book my own ticket I would have left myself a much longer layover. After getting the mostly very helpful responses on this board, it seems foolhardy to risk missing the MUC-ARN flight (I knew it was a longshot anyway), but I don't think it would be selfish to do so. I bear all the risk, no one else gets hurt. If airlines had reasonable standby policies none of this would be an issue.

SmilingBoy

www.amazon.de ship worldwide

NewbieRunner

Depends on what you mean by reasonable standby policies. As has been pointed out many times there's a difference between US-based and European airlines in their standby policies. With LH (and other European carriers) if you want flexibility you pay for flexible fares. If a lower discount fare is flexible and allows you to standby why should anyone pay for a higher flexible fare? This may not sound reasonable to some but there is a choice.

LGACIC

Sure, I can get German-language books elsewhere, with large shipping fees, without getting to see the books before I buy them, etc. How badly one wants to go to the store seems somewhat beside the point however. The point of this forum is not (IMO) to judge how selfish my desire to visit this store is, but to discuss one's flying options. Is it cheating or immoral to deliberately miss a connection? Personally, I don't think so; as I said, it doesn't hurt anyone but myself. There is of course some dishonesty involved if I try to plead that my connection was too short. That's a choice that I - and I think some others on Flyertalk - can live with. Certainly the airlines feel very little moral obligation towards me. They tell me "weather weather weather" when delays are mx.

As to standby rules being "reasonable" or not, yes I agree, it depends on what you mean by reasonable. In many cases, such as this one, I did not have control over my booking class. If I could buy up (is this an option on LH?) for a reasonable price to be able to change to a later flight, I would probably do it.

TerryK

You can upfare to a higher booking class by paying fare difference and penalty, if any. It is your call if it is a reasonable price or not. Why don't you give LH a call?

GK1998

They do have reasonable stand-by policies, you just have to pay for it. Full flexibility on a cheap discount ticket would be unreasonable.

TrueBlueFlyer

I was curious if it was an option to fly stand-by on Lufthansa... ie. show up at the airport for a flight immediately previous to the one you're booked on?

I have no status with Lufthansa or the Star Alliance. Am flying on a cheapo fare.


Also, is Lufthansa the same as Air France/KLM when it comes to seat assignment for cheap economy flights... they're assigned at the airport? Or can I request a window seat in advance?

thanks,
--Russ