Add Lufthansa to the list of airlines that play games with confirmed seat assignments.
An Award Expert client needed to travel from Newark to Zurich this week and wanted first class. Since SWISS generally does not release first class award space, we booked him through Frankfurt on Lufthansa…still a great steal at 70K Aeroplan miles one-way.
The client likes window seats toward the front of the cabin and surprisingly (for a last-minute booking), seat 1K was available, my favorite seat on Lufthansa’s 747-8. We checked him in and sent him his boarding pass.
> Review: Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Los Angeles to Frankfurt
Later that day, however, we received a message from the client asking why we had changed his seat to 3K. We had not touched his seat assignment…
Figuring this might be blog worthy, I called the Lufthansa U.S. Call Center so I could have the conversation myself. What I expected was either indifference or ignorance. What I got was something totally different: a confession.
AGENT: I’m sorry sir, we do see that your seat was moved.
ME: Why was it moved?
AGENT: We have someone very special on your flight and they needed that seat.
ME: By special, do you mean a HON Circle, celebrity, politician, Air Marshal, or someone else?
AGENT: Yes.
ME: Yes, as in…
[silence]
ME: So you won’t say?
AGENT: Correct, but I do apologize.
ME: Aren’t all first class passengers special?
AGENT: Well, yes.
ME: Thank you, I guess I’ll see onboard.
I asked my client to ask the purser why his seat was moved. Not her problem, I know…just to gather intel.
Turns out it was a HON Circle member.
CONCLUSION
I’m not surprised that Lufthansa would care for the seat preferences of its top-tier elites, but this is still disappointing. Watch your seat assignments on Lufthansa, not that you’ll be able to recover them if lost.
Doesnt UA do the same for its GSs, I know I lost a few times my favorite seat when UA flew JFK-LAX and each time it was for a GS or a GS and their traveling person
It frustrates me that I can’t book seat on a International biz ticket (paid P class) at ticketing and have to wait until T24. Similarly, international economy, even on the more expensive tickets I used to buy and upgrade seats can not be selected until T24. The biz class issue is frustrating but the conomy issue has stopped me flying them.
SAA (South African Airways) pulled similar shenanigans to my gf and I for a return flight back to the US a few yrs ago. Months earlier I went through all the steps to reserve seats together for us in biz class, and thought we were all set, only to find out the day of the flight that our seat assignments changed twice. We did end up sitting together, only due to the kindness of another passenger who was willing to swap seats with one of us during boarding.
Last Dec. I flew LH’s beautiful 747-8 when they were selling J class only to some US cities, but allowing F cabin seat selection. I got 1K and kept watch until departure for any moves. At FRA check-in the agent was looking at the computer and said ‘oh’ and I thought right away I’m getting pushed out of the F cabin. Not the case and I enjoyed 1K for 11 hours for 63k Avianca miles bought at 135% bonus. Turns out the J class cabin on this Dec. Friday flight was probably only a third full, but the F cabin was full – of course.
Austrian changed my J seat ( selected and confirmed window/’throne’) to an aisle twin; didn’t bother to tell me until checkin ( and after I complained about it just fobbed me off with the line about needing to pay extra for that particular seat. If that’s true 1. How was I able to choose and confirm it in the first instance and 2. Why didn’t they ask me for the money?
They are suffering from the Lufthansa syndrome.
Qatar Air did a similar mice when we flew (budget) business class last year: bumped from windows to middle. I guess “confirmed” just means “probable” unless you are top level elite.
I will admit my instance was different but still amazing.
I was booked LIN-ZRH-EWR. I had a torn meniscus in my knee and was more comfortable with a cane. I was fully able to walk and board without the cane. Arrival in ZRH was via remote stand and I asked for help to reach the terminal. I had a 4 hour wait and I visited the ZRH city center.
When I boarded my next flight I was reserved in an exit row. At boarding I beeped and I was told due to my injury I had to be moved out of the exit row. They were in the right and I did not argue.
Imagine my shock at seeing my lost exit row seat occupied by a man in a full leg cast. This clearly was against regulations!
Same thing happened to me last year when I was booked into 1A on the 748. It had happened a week before departure, and when I checked-in at LAX, multiple agents looked to figure out why, but couldn’t see in the record why it had been changed, just that it had been a system change.
Hard for me to complain too much, since I had used a GPU…
They should comp some miles or voucher.
But I have no problem corporations slapping poor schmuck Americans around. You asked for it when you voted in the party that loves rich people over you.
Imagine the shock of this French pal who was dining in the F Class terminal in Frankfurt and while perusing the buffet saw a LH employee swap his confirmed boarding pass for a seat that turned out to be broken. Talking about reenacting World War II. The reaction was epic.
JoeMart you need to tell that story.
All you wimpering, whining flying “my favorite seat” experts …get over it. What’s
so important about a seat in row one or row 3? Park your butt for 9 hrs (MUC – ORD) and stop this idiotic discussion.
If you care so much, then stop following Matthew’s blog. I for one found this interesting.
Its not just simply about “favourite seat”. Why should someone who books months in advance, sometimes even pays for it, just be shoevd aside from some Johnny-come-lately or Mr DYKWIA?
I have had 5 very pleasant trips to Germany on Lufthansa.
Seattle,San Francisco,Portland to Frankfurt.We were always treated well
I can appreciate the frustration of having seats changed – it happened to me the other day – but no carrier offers “Confirmed Seat Assignments.” ‘Confirmed’ anything simply doesn’t exist – and airlines make this plain in their Contracts of Carriage. ‘Confirmed’ is a word people like to use to try and create certainty when there is none. “Well you said it was confirmed!” Unfortunately, due to events that were unforeseen and outside of our control we are no longer able to honor….
@GordyUK. Lets see. Last minute booking on Aeroplan vs Hon Circle (paid or M&M). No competition here. Now, if this was a full fare F ticket vs Hon Circle on miles, I can see the argument. Aeroplan is not going to be around for a lot longer anyway.
Flying tomorrow and my seat was changed! The agent told me that I bought a seat charecteristic, not a seat. Can’t wait to see who has my pricey seats that LH will not refund !
Lufthansa has dropped to a 2nd or 3rd tier Flight provider in my eyes due to this kind of nonsense. Their seat reservation policies for premium and business class passengers are ridiculous and unprofessional compared to their peers in the industry, especially within the Star Alliance.
Not only this, but the way their complaints are handled are outdated, tardier than their competitors, and extremely painful to deal with … again, compared to other airlines. Nevermind their telelphone outsourcing to 3rd world countries where their phone team isn’t skilled enough to answer your queries.
I would like to say Lufthansa is up there in terms of Customer service an appreciation, but they simply aren’t anymore. Fricken’ nightmare is more like it.