SWISS refusing to reimburse food & beverage expenses incurred after flight cancelled
Jan 26, 2021, 1:05 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
The problem is that it's hard to find any airline that hasn't tried to pull these tricks at one point or another to avoid paying any compensation or refunds.
I'm not defending the airline in any way, but if were to boycott any airline that has ever tried sh*t like this I would be riding my bicycle from the West Coast to Europe at this point.
I'm not defending the airline in any way, but if were to boycott any airline that has ever tried sh*t like this I would be riding my bicycle from the West Coast to Europe at this point.
Jan 26, 2021, 3:44 pm
#33
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ZRH/LUX/LON
Programs: BA GGL/ VS Gold. Former: UA 1K (10 years+) , EY partners Plat, SQ PPS Club, SU Gold, LH SEN/HON
Posts: 770
I would file an official complaint with the aviation regulator in your relevant country. That usually gets quick attention
Laws vary by country. If you are domiciled in the UK, this would be the UK regulator.
The default position of the lower ranks in LH Group is to say no, and the max compensation is limited. However, if you are flying F for example this can easily exceed max compensation. i had to get the aviation regular involved, and in one instance took them to US court to sue them due to a contract dispute. They settled.
You have to go higher up the food chain to get any attention, esp with LH Group.
Lets not forget, LX was the first to deny refunds on fully refundable tickets last year then covid started. Not just internally but externally at the GDS level.
The mentality of the rules don't apply to us unless it benefits us goes all the way back to Frankfurt and Zurich.
Laws vary by country. If you are domiciled in the UK, this would be the UK regulator.
The default position of the lower ranks in LH Group is to say no, and the max compensation is limited. However, if you are flying F for example this can easily exceed max compensation. i had to get the aviation regular involved, and in one instance took them to US court to sue them due to a contract dispute. They settled.
You have to go higher up the food chain to get any attention, esp with LH Group.
Lets not forget, LX was the first to deny refunds on fully refundable tickets last year then covid started. Not just internally but externally at the GDS level.
The mentality of the rules don't apply to us unless it benefits us goes all the way back to Frankfurt and Zurich.
Jan 27, 2021, 3:15 am
#34
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: madrid
Posts: 66
Story time! Sorry to revive this older post but wanted to give you all an update and some insights if you encounter this with Swiss.
TLDR: (almost ) went to court but Swiss settled out of court in the end before the judge could follow up with directions
After repeated emails to their support request they informed me there was no cost to reimburse and considered the matter closed. From that point they refused to respond to any further emails.
Timeline then as follows:
September 2020 - Wrote final letter before action to Swiss International Airlines Ltd in Heathrow
September 2020 - Filed claim through MCOL
October 2020 - Swiss requested extension to respond to the money claim
October 2020 - Swiss requested further extension to respons to the money claim (in hindsight I should not have agreed to this as the claim would have been instantly approved for me then)
October 2020 - Swiss refuted the evidence and referred the matter to http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ their solicitors to defend themselves
October 2020 - Swiss claimed I did not incur a waiting period because I returned on another airline which was not Swiss
November 2020 - MCOL not successful and claim was forwarded to the courts
November 2020 - Swiss changed their opinion after I submitted more evidence, suddenly I did incur a waiting time but it was not eligible because there were alternative flights back earlier than the one I flew (yet they never made these available to me for rebooking)
November 2020 - http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ being total a-holes and requesting the court to move the case to Liverpool "because they have the best airline judges (I kid you not, this was literally in their direction notes). This would have me travel at my own initial expenses all the way to Liverpool if they gotten their way and if the case went to court
December 2020 - I submitted more evidence and also opposed to the courts to move. Courts agreed and was referred first to Holborn, then Strand, then Brentford
December 2020 - I gave Swiss even more evidence and told them if they weren't going to pay even the basic meals I would also lodge a claim for lodging which would be A LOT more than just the meals
December 2020 - Received email from http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ that they were willing to settle for 50% of the amount
December 2020 - Agreed to the settlement
January 2021 - Reimbursement hit my bank account
This was an extremely tiring process and took quite some time, their solicitors also pulled out every trick in the book (pestering with the move to Liverpool, making up bogus claims by misinterpreting evidence, delaying responses to the last final hour etc..) but I'm happy they settled in the end.
On that note, I will never fly Swiss again though, a non FT-person would definitely not go through all the hassle to recover this and if you see what tricks they pull to even try to avoid paying out after it just means they are a horrible airline, with horrible customer service. The fact that even their solicitors settled in the end just proves it even more.
Be warned when flying Swiss and something goes wrong.
And to end...remember that paltry 20 euro compensation link they send? I just tried it and it still worked so I took that too.
TLDR: (almost ) went to court but Swiss settled out of court in the end before the judge could follow up with directions
After repeated emails to their support request they informed me there was no cost to reimburse and considered the matter closed. From that point they refused to respond to any further emails.
Timeline then as follows:
September 2020 - Wrote final letter before action to Swiss International Airlines Ltd in Heathrow
September 2020 - Filed claim through MCOL
October 2020 - Swiss requested extension to respond to the money claim
October 2020 - Swiss requested further extension to respons to the money claim (in hindsight I should not have agreed to this as the claim would have been instantly approved for me then)
October 2020 - Swiss refuted the evidence and referred the matter to http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ their solicitors to defend themselves
October 2020 - Swiss claimed I did not incur a waiting period because I returned on another airline which was not Swiss
November 2020 - MCOL not successful and claim was forwarded to the courts
November 2020 - Swiss changed their opinion after I submitted more evidence, suddenly I did incur a waiting time but it was not eligible because there were alternative flights back earlier than the one I flew (yet they never made these available to me for rebooking)
November 2020 - http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ being total a-holes and requesting the court to move the case to Liverpool "because they have the best airline judges (I kid you not, this was literally in their direction notes). This would have me travel at my own initial expenses all the way to Liverpool if they gotten their way and if the case went to court
December 2020 - I submitted more evidence and also opposed to the courts to move. Courts agreed and was referred first to Holborn, then Strand, then Brentford
December 2020 - I gave Swiss even more evidence and told them if they weren't going to pay even the basic meals I would also lodge a claim for lodging which would be A LOT more than just the meals
December 2020 - Received email from http://smithpartnership.co.uk/ that they were willing to settle for 50% of the amount
December 2020 - Agreed to the settlement
January 2021 - Reimbursement hit my bank account
This was an extremely tiring process and took quite some time, their solicitors also pulled out every trick in the book (pestering with the move to Liverpool, making up bogus claims by misinterpreting evidence, delaying responses to the last final hour etc..) but I'm happy they settled in the end.
On that note, I will never fly Swiss again though, a non FT-person would definitely not go through all the hassle to recover this and if you see what tricks they pull to even try to avoid paying out after it just means they are a horrible airline, with horrible customer service. The fact that even their solicitors settled in the end just proves it even more.
Be warned when flying Swiss and something goes wrong.
And to end...remember that paltry 20 euro compensation link they send? I just tried it and it still worked so I took that too.
Jan 27, 2021, 3:19 am
#35
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: madrid
Posts: 66
Very unfortunate that AAticus had to go to so much trouble and effort to get partial compensation.
Shame on Swiss.
As not2017 pointed out better to avoid Swiss .
they dont deserve our business.
I am just rebooking a long haul business flight Swiss and will choose LH or Emirates instead.
Shame on Swiss.
As not2017 pointed out better to avoid Swiss .
they dont deserve our business.
I am just rebooking a long haul business flight Swiss and will choose LH or Emirates instead.
Jan 27, 2021, 6:49 am
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
I'm not defending the airline in any way, but if were to boycott any airline that has ever tried sh*t like this I would be riding my bicycle from the West Coast to Europe at this point.
Only a very few people (with dual citizenship or resident permits) are allowed to travel from the US West Coast to Europe since last March.
Jan 27, 2021, 10:45 am
#37
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 201
I would file an official complaint with the aviation regulator in your relevant country. That usually gets quick attention
Laws vary by country. If you are domiciled in the UK, this would be the UK regulator.
The default position of the lower ranks in LH Group is to say no, and the max compensation is limited. However, if you are flying F for example this can easily exceed max compensation. i had to get the aviation regular involved, and in one instance took them to US court to sue them due to a contract dispute. They settled.
You have to go higher up the food chain to get any attention, esp with LH Group.
Lets not forget, LX was the first to deny refunds on fully refundable tickets last year then covid started. Not just internally but externally at the GDS level.
The mentality of the rules don't apply to us unless it benefits us goes all the way back to Frankfurt and Zurich.
Laws vary by country. If you are domiciled in the UK, this would be the UK regulator.
The default position of the lower ranks in LH Group is to say no, and the max compensation is limited. However, if you are flying F for example this can easily exceed max compensation. i had to get the aviation regular involved, and in one instance took them to US court to sue them due to a contract dispute. They settled.
You have to go higher up the food chain to get any attention, esp with LH Group.
Lets not forget, LX was the first to deny refunds on fully refundable tickets last year then covid started. Not just internally but externally at the GDS level.
The mentality of the rules don't apply to us unless it benefits us goes all the way back to Frankfurt and Zurich.
Very unfortunate that AAticus had to go to so much trouble and effort to get partial compensation.
Shame on Swiss.
As not2017 pointed out better to avoid Swiss .
they dont deserve our business.
I am just rebooking a long haul business flight Swiss and will choose LH or Emirates instead.
Shame on Swiss.
As not2017 pointed out better to avoid Swiss .
they dont deserve our business.
I am just rebooking a long haul business flight Swiss and will choose LH or Emirates instead.
3 years ago, LH cancelled my flight Spain-FRA and as a result I could not take my FRA-SFO flight. Best they could offer was to fly 24 hours later. To avoid paying compensation, they alleged the flight from Spain to FRA was cancelled because of weather, but no other flights in either city were cancelled that morning for the same reason.
They refused any compensation aside from refunding food expenses. It took me 2 years, and only with the help of lawyers specializing in consumer rights of airline passengers, to get the 600 EUR.
Sadly, LH is still one of the best airlines for me to fly from the West Coast to the small Spanish city where I fly -both in terms of schedule, price and service-, so even after this I still fly them.
Jan 28, 2021, 2:30 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,610
I guess I was just writing something similar over in the broken business class seat thread, where I said I don't book SWISS anymore for reasons like this and poor service in general. There are too many stories like this which are in addition to the Corona disgraces (refunds, vouchers etc.). Something has to be done to bring these airlines up to standard again, it's far too much an endless race to the bottom. I am now coming to the conclusion that the US carriers seem to handle irregularities much better at the moment. The sad thing is, I haven't missed SWISS one jot since I've stopped booking and flying with them. And I've ended up having a lot of good experiences with other airlines that are now getting my business.
Feb 10, 2021, 7:55 pm
#39
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ZRH/LUX/LON
Programs: BA GGL/ VS Gold. Former: UA 1K (10 years+) , EY partners Plat, SQ PPS Club, SU Gold, LH SEN/HON
Posts: 770
Fiile a regulatory complaint.
LX needs to be taught a lesson - this from an airline that didn't not want to refund refundable tickets.
LX needs to be taught a lesson - this from an airline that didn't not want to refund refundable tickets.
Feb 10, 2021, 11:19 pm
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,468
these days the buck stops at Frankfurt/LH HQ.
Feb 10, 2021, 11:55 pm
#41
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Zurich
Programs: BA GGL, TK*G EL, KL P ELPL, ex AB P, ex LH/LX Sen, HHonors D4L, Bonvoy P
Posts: 1,647
I can only echo the recommendation by OpenSky. File a regulatory complaint with the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. Based on my experience this is the most effective way to resolve claims against Swiss, I'm afraid. They have issued fines to Swiss in a couple of cases and since then, Swiss tends to comply in cases which are well documented.