Jan 20, 2016, 9:14 am
Last edit by: Palal
Brief History
On 6 January, a fare appeared for a few hours on Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and online travel agencies (OTAs) offering BRU-ADD-(GBE)-CPT r/t in fully refundable business (C-Class) for 530€.
Several days later, many members got e-mails stating that they "actually booked economy tickets" and were downgraded from fare basis CRTBE (fully refundable business) to TLES6MBE (economy). Some who booked through OTAs have yet to receive this downgrade, and some have been downgraded with no notification from OTAs.
Several people have also successfully flown already.
Next Steps
1. It's (now) safe to call/email the airline.
2. It seems 2 options are given: travel in economy, or full refund.
--> those who have chosen a refund have mostly gotten it promptly.
--> those who have contested the e-mail have not received any type of response.
--> other options were presented here, although others have not seem to replicated the result.
3. Contacting any Ethiopian offices (London, Vienna, etc.) have resulted in being redirected to the Ethiopian Brussels office.
4. For those who plan to fight it, see below. Note that no one has had a successful outcome yet.
5. Update: Some users are reporting getting the offer of 75% refunds to travel in economy as per EC 261.
Avenues of contest:
1. Try Art. 10 (2) lit. c of the Flight Delay Compensation Regulation 261/2004. It may be possible to get up to 75% of the ticket price back, although this is unconfirmed and debatable.
2. Befriend a Belgian lawyer with a penchant for pro bono work
Kidding aside, it is not wise to go the legal route.
You should email the Belgian enforcement body at: [email protected]
In the email state your name, eticket, travel date, attach ticket receipt.
State that your ticket has been purchased and issued in business class and that the airline is offering to either cancel or downgrade without compensation. Politely ask for their help in enforcing EU Reg 261/2004 Art.10 2(c).
Planned Trips:
early February OwlMan
early April mattking2000
March-End Culture Guru
late April Palal
Further/concurrent reading (for the German-inclined):
http://www.vielfliegertreff.de/first-business-class-tarife/91159-et-bru-cpt-524-euro.html
On 6 January, a fare appeared for a few hours on Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and online travel agencies (OTAs) offering BRU-ADD-(GBE)-CPT r/t in fully refundable business (C-Class) for 530€.
Several days later, many members got e-mails stating that they "actually booked economy tickets" and were downgraded from fare basis CRTBE (fully refundable business) to TLES6MBE (economy). Some who booked through OTAs have yet to receive this downgrade, and some have been downgraded with no notification from OTAs.
Several people have also successfully flown already.
Next Steps
1. It's (now) safe to call/email the airline.
2. It seems 2 options are given: travel in economy, or full refund.
--> those who have chosen a refund have mostly gotten it promptly.
--> those who have contested the e-mail have not received any type of response.
--> other options were presented here, although others have not seem to replicated the result.
3. Contacting any Ethiopian offices (London, Vienna, etc.) have resulted in being redirected to the Ethiopian Brussels office.
4. For those who plan to fight it, see below. Note that no one has had a successful outcome yet.
5. Update: Some users are reporting getting the offer of 75% refunds to travel in economy as per EC 261.
Avenues of contest:
1. Try Art. 10 (2) lit. c of the Flight Delay Compensation Regulation 261/2004. It may be possible to get up to 75% of the ticket price back, although this is unconfirmed and debatable.
2. Befriend a Belgian lawyer with a penchant for pro bono work
Kidding aside, it is not wise to go the legal route. Code:
Article 10: Upgrading and downgrading 1. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class higher than that for which the ticket was purchased, it may not request any supplementary payment. 2. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased, it shall within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), reimburse (a) 30 % of the price of the ticket for all flights of 1500 kilometres or less, or (b) 50 % of the price of the ticket for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres, except flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments, and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometres, or (c) 75 % of the price of the ticket for all flights not falling under (a) or (b), including flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments.
In the email state your name, eticket, travel date, attach ticket receipt.
State that your ticket has been purchased and issued in business class and that the airline is offering to either cancel or downgrade without compensation. Politely ask for their help in enforcing EU Reg 261/2004 Art.10 2(c).
Planned Trips:
early February OwlMan
early April mattking2000
March-End Culture Guru
late April Palal
Further/concurrent reading (for the German-inclined):
http://www.vielfliegertreff.de/first-business-class-tarife/91159-et-bru-cpt-524-euro.html
[PREMIUM FARE GONE] Ethiopian Airlines-Brussel to CPT (r/t) in J on 787 for €530 in J
Jan 17, 2016, 1:11 pm
#481
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 42
Kudos @ Sven for being able to fly this !
I know it is best to book for a flight as close as possible to the date of the sale but this is also something my boss does not really like... I have flexibility but not to that point. I guess I'll apply this when I am retired (in a zillion years
)
My booking has also now been proactively downgraded to Y. Given their bad administration, I still had a small hope that my booking would slip through the cracks and I would be able to fly this but no... No communication from the big O. Time to message them I guess, there is of course no way I want to fly this in Y on a basically non-earning fare for €540.
I know it is best to book for a flight as close as possible to the date of the sale but this is also something my boss does not really like... I have flexibility but not to that point. I guess I'll apply this when I am retired (in a zillion years
)My booking has also now been proactively downgraded to Y. Given their bad administration, I still had a small hope that my booking would slip through the cracks and I would be able to fly this but no... No communication from the big O. Time to message them I guess, there is of course no way I want to fly this in Y on a basically non-earning fare for €540.
O ended up giving me a $75 travel voucher. I called and politely inquired why my flight had been changed, a supervisor contacted ET with me on hold ( 1.5 hrs...)
ET told big O what they have been telling others, wrong fare was loaded, and I could fly it in Econ or just cancel for full refund. I explained to O it seems odd that I bought a available fair and a week later they changed it on me. They were very sympathetic but could not do anything besides canceling it for me. They suggested I email ET customer service if I wanted to make further inquires.
Ended up canceling and grabbing a QR flight but at least O hooked me up for the inconvenience. ^
Jan 17, 2016, 1:33 pm
#482
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,341
The point is, it's almost like a game, and it is very exciting to play! Sometimes you win the jackpot, and sometimes you don't win (you never LOSE). So getting upset at the airlines afterwards, calling them husslers and what not is just silly and makes us all look like spoiled brats.
Jan 18, 2016, 6:52 am
#483
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 8
Same here - I've been "downgraded" to Economy but no word from Tripsta - I will log and enquiry with them now
Jan 18, 2016, 8:13 am
#484
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Belgian in Dublin
Programs: *A Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Ryanair Platinum
Posts: 157
According to my phone call with the tripsta CS agent they can't do a refund because apparently ET has removed the access for OTA's to those edited tickets. I contacted ET CS and they asked me for an email which I did. I got a feeling this might not be an easy refund to get.
Jan 18, 2016, 12:04 pm
#485
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: SPG Platinum, IHG Spire Ambassador, *A Gold
Posts: 20
it showed as business
Jan 19, 2016, 12:40 am
#487
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 8
Keep me posted!
According to my phone call with the tripsta CS agent they can't do a refund because apparently ET has removed the access for OTA's to those edited tickets. I contacted ET CS and they asked me for an email which I did. I got a feeling this might not be an easy refund to get.
According to my phone call with the tripsta CS agent they can't do a refund because apparently ET has removed the access for OTA's to those edited tickets. I contacted ET CS and they asked me for an email which I did. I got a feeling this might not be an easy refund to get.
"We would like to inform you that the changes you mention were made from the airline. Also note that the airline took the control of the tickets.
For more information you need to contact directly with the airline since we are not anymore authorized from the airline. "
Now I contacted Ethiopian to obtain a refund.
Jan 19, 2016, 1:05 am
#488
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Belgian in Dublin
Programs: *A Gold, IHG Spire AMB, Ryanair Platinum
Posts: 157
Tripsta replies:
"We would like to inform you that the changes you mention were made from the airline. Also note that the airline took the control of the tickets.
For more information you need to contact directly with the airline since we are not anymore authorized from the airline. "
Now I contacted Ethiopian to obtain a refund.
"We would like to inform you that the changes you mention were made from the airline. Also note that the airline took the control of the tickets.
For more information you need to contact directly with the airline since we are not anymore authorized from the airline. "
Now I contacted Ethiopian to obtain a refund.
Which email address did you contact or did you call?
Jan 19, 2016, 3:46 am
#489
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 8
I received an auto-reply saying they will reply within 10 days...
I live in London - if they do not reply, I will go directly to their office in London.
Jan 19, 2016, 9:34 am
#490
formerly mattking2000
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: DXB
Programs: BA|AC|AZ|SPG|H|FPC
Posts: 1,192
Posters on VFT seem to be of the opinion that:
1. Cancelers will receive quick replies. Fight-backs will not elicit any response.
2. Systematically going through OTA bookings (opodo seems first, followed by some others like Urlaubspiraten and Tripsta, and some have not even cancelled yet)
3. OTA bookings that have been travelled before being downgraded have been travelled successfully, with points posting to FF programs (LH M&M for instance).
4. One poor soul was already in CPT when his inbound booked through OTA was converted to Y (scary thought as essentially trapped there with no recourse for EC261 as they are not an EU carrier nor is CPT in the EU). --> have not seen a follow up to this story yet.
Jan 19, 2016, 10:09 am
#491
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,846
Ouch
Jan 19, 2016, 2:04 pm
#492
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 8
Already tried this, they will take your information down and pass it to the Ethiopian ticket handlers in Brussels. But once there, nothing will come of it.
Posters on VFT seem to be of the opinion that:
1. Cancelers will receive quick replies. Fight-backs will not elicit any response.
2. Systematically going through OTA bookings (opodo seems first, followed by some others like Urlaubspiraten and Tripsta, and some have not even cancelled yet)
3. OTA bookings that have been travelled before being downgraded have been travelled successfully, with points posting to FF programs (LH M&M for instance).
4. One poor soul was already in CPT when his inbound booked through OTA was converted to Y (scary thought as essentially trapped there with no recourse for EC261 as they are not an EU carrier nor is CPT in the EU). --> have not seen a follow up to this story yet.
Posters on VFT seem to be of the opinion that:
1. Cancelers will receive quick replies. Fight-backs will not elicit any response.
2. Systematically going through OTA bookings (opodo seems first, followed by some others like Urlaubspiraten and Tripsta, and some have not even cancelled yet)
3. OTA bookings that have been travelled before being downgraded have been travelled successfully, with points posting to FF programs (LH M&M for instance).
4. One poor soul was already in CPT when his inbound booked through OTA was converted to Y (scary thought as essentially trapped there with no recourse for EC261 as they are not an EU carrier nor is CPT in the EU). --> have not seen a follow up to this story yet.
Jan 20, 2016, 2:03 am
#493
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,086
Flying in economy-class may not be fun, but it represents the only travel opportunity the vast majority of travellers face: and most of us manage to shrug off any discomfort. Not exactly a tragedy.
Jan 20, 2016, 2:11 am
#494
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,846
