there are multiple fare classes in a service class. So if I purchase a P or A fare which is flexible, I do expect when P or A is available on an alternate date, that I can flexibly rebook. But that is not the case!

I tried to rebook my flight in A class, which is an upgrade from P class, wanted to change from RSW-ORD-ZRH to MIA-ZRH. Now I know there will be a surcharge for one because the origin changed, and 2nd because Neither A nor P class is available. D class is bookable via the app or web, and the agent confirms, but when they want to rebook my flexible ticket, they will only sell in the J fare…

this was different until a couple of years ago…

so left as is…. Not paying 3k p/P extra.

As already stated several times, the availability is not based on the POS, but on the POC.
Therefore the question of "legality " is different.

You clearly don�t understand legal requirements when anything is sold, the availability is there in empty seats that remain for sale.

I know this one didn't work for NYC1, however maybe someone in Europe could try this number:

+41 848 365 365

I did call from the US, and when they answered and I asked, they told me that it was indeed the LX first class number, and I was successful in reaching an agent there. YMMV, but it's worth giving it a try to see if it's a good number, and one you may want to keep on hand. I'll also note that this was the number given to me by the LH first class line desk in Germany. Unlike the LH number, it is NOT toll free and is not a free Skype call.

Because full fare first class pax represent the highest possible amount of revenue to the airline, and airlines generally bend over backward to accommodate them.

Well... not "rights" per se, but a higher service level, yes.

May I introduce an example to better understand your logic.
A car manufacturer sells the same type of cars in the US and in the UK. The price of the car is in the US 75k$ versus in the UK100k$ (the numbers are approximately representing reality for a specific car). You are implying that the car manufacturer has not the right to give priority to the UK market, where he has a higher margin, than to the US market. You are implying that the car manufacturer has to handle deliveries exactly according incoming orders. DREAM ON LAD!
As a car manufacturer has the right to decide which market he serves with priority, an airline may also take the right to sell the seats to a market with higher prices. An airline - in contrast to a car manufacturer - even states in its fare rules, that it is taking the freedom to do so.

If you still believe there is a chance to win in court, please go on and sue them. Please let me know the outcome.

That's a clear NO. It's J, which is definitely the most valuable one for an airline. Just compare the prices of a ticket. For example on LON-LAX: Full Flex J (JFFB0) 16219 Euro versus Full Flex F (FFFB0) 16588 Euro. Which passenger is more valuable for the airlines F or J. The answer is clearly J


As already stated: service level has nothing to do with fare rules.

That�s not at all a comparison.

As said, you clearly don�t understand consumer Law, in the UK you cannot sell F flex tickets & when there are free seats for sale deny those to the pax with a F flex ticket & i haven�t had to sue them yet since they surrendered in advance

It's an interesting point of law. You buy a flexible ticket of any kind, you've flown the outbound (historic pricing) using public resources (their website, GDS) you see there are seats available, but the carrier says no, there are not. They control this situation, you are the weaker party. You're then forced to purchase a new ticket, in the same compartment, for the flights you wanted on which the carrier says there are no seats. (Did I understand the facts correctly)?

Not only is it unfair, it seems unlawful, breaking the basic tenets of good faith in contract law that make up the Civil system. That's without looking at Unfair Terms statute and probably tonnes of other stuff.
[MENTION=168067]athome[/MENTION] you should take a look at the sheer volume of cases Lufthansa loses in their home court of K�ln. Google translate can help. They are super dodgy.

Yes & even when you haven't flown the outbound�� the entire trip could be booked online for a new ticket but the agents & even HON line doesn�t see that �.. if you want to make a change, hence Flex isn�t flex but some LH apologists here don�t have any issues

So it�s not married segments either. We are talking about the RBDs being good, A or F is there, as it should be, and they still refuse to rebook?

How can anyone defend that? That�s nuts

Yes, they claim to not see seats for rebooking but no problem if you are buying a new ticket online, that�s one side of it which i had, then others where it is married segments & if i�m having issues as HON in F, imagine others without status & on Flex tickets�..

They don�t try to defend it they just claim to not see the same availability

I’ve had this happen with LX/LH on A tickets where they cancelled a segment of mine and I was forced to change. They made a change that didn’t suit me, and when I tried to get something suitable they claimed no A inventory even though they were selling it for new bookings.

The scheme here is differentiating inventory between existing tickets and new ones… they already have your money on the existing ticket, and even though fare rules say no penalty to change, they set up their system that to change you need to pay up to the top fare even when they’re still selling the discounted F or A to a new customer. Nice agents have worked around this for me particularly when there has been a schedule change or cancellation, but I do think it falls outside fair trade to treat a customer who has already bought a flexible ticket differently (and worse than) a new buyer of the same type of ticket just because they’ve already got your money…

What bothers me is that things depend so much on the agent and one gets different information all the time.

On having to pay an upcharge to make a change when LHG makes a distinction between a new booking and an existing one, I don�t think that sweet talking / cooperative agent would make a difference. When it�s LHG that makes some kind of change/cancellation and you then have to make a change, it�s a different story and they�ll do it without a charge. In my situations, agents were able to quickly figure out that a distinction is being made between new and existing booking. It was alsways the F line. They were relatively apologetic but nothing they could do. It�s a despicable policy.