Does anyone know what can be done if an Airline makes a bad reservation and as a result you are denied boarding ? This happened to me on Dec. 20. I was booked by Lufthansa ( during the blizzard madness causing closures in Frankfurt and CDG ) on an Alitalia flight to Rome, trying to get out of Paris ( my final destination was not Rome, but there was a 5-hr layover in Rome which was fine with me ). When we showed up to Board, Alitalia told us the despite having in my hand a Lufthansa Itinerary, which clearly stated we were on the AZ xxx flight, that we were IN FACT NOT on that flight. They did not allow us to Board. As a result, we got stuck in CDG for TWO MORE DAYS. Finally got out on Wednesday !.
Given that this was in Europe, is there a recourse ? Lufthansa has been ignoring my complaints. Who do I talk to ?? Does anyone know of a good Lawyer ?? Ray
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
Did your Lufthansa itinerary show a confirmation code and a ticket number? If you don't have these, I think you might be pretty much out of luck. If you do have these, you might have a shot at a refund from Lufthansa, since your not using the ticket was not your fault. Make the refund request in writing, and hang on to all your documentation. Be aware that you might have to wait months for a decision. An additional avenue you might consider is to protest the charge through your credit card company, if you have adequate documentation.
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
6 posts
Thanks Tom the Itinerary was an e-ticket, so no paper ticket was issued ( the US Lufthansa made the reservation since Lufthansa in Europe was not even answering calls that day !! - and the line to see an agent was 18 hours long !!! But the Itinerary had the word 'Confirmed' printed under the 'Reservation' column. We eventually got our of Paris on the third day. But it just occurred to me that the Airline making a mistake and a bad-reservation should not be off-the-hook that easily. I lost two irreplaceable days of my very tight-scheduled vacation.
Should they not make it up to me somehow ( actually, the only way to make it up is to fly us out again so that we can recoup our lost days !! )
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
An e-ticket will have a confirmation code (also called the record locator) and a ticket number too, just like a paper ticket. I'm not a lawyer, but given the scenario you describe, I think Lufthansa owes you at least a partial refund on that ticket. No way will you get reimbursement for your extra 2 days in CDG. Apparently your Lufthansa-issued ticket did not cross into the Alitalia booking system.
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
It seems highly unlikely you have any real legal recourse (as in lawsuit), but you should at least check the European Commission's website to see what they have to say about the airline's obligations around compensation for delays, cancellations, etc. due to severe weather. My guess is that you'll need to file an official complaint before your case can be evaluated. Provide all of the facts and details necessary in a professional way without being demanding, and who knows, maybe you'll be compensated in some way. I would start with whatever complaint process the airline requires and then go the EC route if that doesn't pan out. Good luck...it will probably take awhile.
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
6 posts
Thank you all. I will lookup the Eu Commission on Traveler's Rights ( If there is such a thing ) .