Lufthansa Seat Reservation Mess Up Plus German Airport Strike

Has anyone had a similar experience?

I avoid Lufthansa and Air France through their codeshare partners (United and Delta respectively) for similar problems with seat reservations I have had in the past, going back for many years. Seems like it is still an issue with codeshare flights booked on one airline but dependent on the other for seating, etc.

Since 2016 for flights to Europe I have exclusively flown American Airlines on their planes, and I have never had an issue with lost seat reservations.

Never understood how seat reservations are lost.

I've had previous issues similar to Jojo Rabbit's. Heck with them. Not worth it.

Not Lufthansa, but I also had this happen with United’s codeshare with Turkish. I booked on United, then paid Turkish for a seat, only to have it disappear. Turkish took good care of me - but I thought it was strange. I also found out United and LOT don’t talk to each other well…..

Last fall I booked round trip SFO to Frankfurt via Lufthansa website, but was flying on United there and Air Canada returning. I picked seats on Lufthansa and every time I checked, they still showed up. But United said I had to pick my seats. On neither leg did we have the seats I originally selected. But we were still in Premium Economy and had seats, so it wasn't really a problem.

Thank you all for your replies.
I am posting this out of frustration and to give others a heads up about booking this codeshare.
I will not do this again.

Since I posted we have called Lufthansa 4 more times in an effort to resolve our issue.
The only improvement was that we were able to get connected quickly.
I sat out strike day when all flights were cancelled.
Each time the agent reinstated our seats and claimed to associate them with our United reservation.
Each time a few hours later after receiving a seat reservation confirmation and seeing it online the seats disappeared again. On one occasion after asking for a supervisor we were told it was probably United's fault.
Even though that seemed absurd I called United and spoke to a supervisor who confirmed what I thought to be true. United has nothing to do with Lufthansa's seat reservation issue or system They only get the seat assignment info for them which is why it appears on our United App.
After the 4th try we are done.
Like that old Seinfeld episode when Jerry rents a car... Lufthansa knows how to take the reservation (and the money) but does not know how to hold the reservation, which is the point of the reservation!

I just checked in for our light on United and they send me to Lufthansa to reserve seats.
When I get to their website it now says no seat reservation are available for this flight.
Arrgh!
I will try again within 23 hours of the Munich-Valencia flight and see if anything changes.
I just got a text from Lufthansa asking about our recent customer service experience.
Hmmm, I wonder what review they will get.
Anyways, we are leaving tomorrow and somehow, we will get them to refund out seat fees.

It could be that when you check-in for your flight (online and at the airport), the seat mystery will clear up.

About 12 years ago, I bought flights on Delta that put me on Air France iron. When I checked in at the airport (Dulles), the Delta/Air France agent told me I would get my boarding passes at the gate, the first indication something was screwed up. At the gate, it was a madhouse as many others (all?) were in the same boat - the closest thing to an explanation I got was that they did it this way to merge passengers who bought on Delta with AF, and they prioritized families with children to ensure they sit together.

As I recall it worked out OK, I got an aisle seat and sat with my wife, but it was not in our originally assigned seats, but for the stress it caused us that was the last time I flew Delta to Europe, and I decided to never book directly with Air France, either.

Had similar issues with United / Lufthansa back then on flights to Europe, and never flew them again.

What gets me is that it sounds like it is still an issue with United codeshares with Lufthansa and LOT...I have flown on United iron to Japan many times and there was never any issue, but I don't remember that those were codeshares flying on ANA iron, their codeshare partner.

Jojo Rabbit... It's still a mystery.

I called one more time after checking in . They are clueless at Lufthansa about this. After telling me my earlier assigned seat numbers correctly I was told the reason it dropped was I didn't pay. After checking again,they told me no, they see the payment but it is now too late. I was offered a refund for the seats but I have yet to see it.
This morning I was assigned a seat toward the back of the plane but not the aisle I had requested.
At SFO United said I have to see the check
in Agent at Lufthansa.
I had extra time so I waited for them to open.
The agent initially said there was nothing she could do ,not having access and didn't really want to help. Finally she got access and got the last 2 seats together with an aisle,3rd to last row.

At least my United Premium Economy seats never changed and my departure is on time
I think we will go back to our pre covid routine.
RT London , have cream tea get over jet lag,have some fun, see a friend and then fly to wherever . Done with code shares for now and Lufthansa .

Enjoy the trip!

Sorry, it was such a hassle for you. The only time I’ve had a problem was an AF Delta meds and actually I was on Delta but checking in at Air France

first the Air France agent tells me you aren’t allowed to reserve exit row seats and when I showed her the print out of the reservation with the exit receipt, she grudgingly gave me back my seat. When I got on the plane, there was somebody in my seat. Of course, he proceeded to tell the flight attendant just exactly how important he was to the whole health of Delta airlines. Apparently , without his patronage, the airline would be bankrupt and never be able to fly again. After he spent 5 minutes telling the flight attendant his tale of self-importance, she took our boarding passes and went away. She came back. She handed me my boarding pass with a smile and I looked down and didn’t say anything but I wasn’t business class. Thanks so much Mr. important. I really enjoyed that flight

Jo Jo Rabbit...Thanks!
Carol...Great story. You never know what it will be.
At least for us, our United Flight to Munich in Premium Economy was much better than I expected. Surprisingly decent food and more than expected. Our main flght attendant was funny ,seemed to enjoy his work and was professional. The plane took off on time and arrived 45 min early and was not packed. What more can you ask for?
The connecting flight on Lufthansa was OK but my pre flight experience with them informs my future choices. But for now I have left that behind and am enjoying my trip.