Intercontinental flight was ticketed for a 747 with "Real" First Class which is why we went through that horrible airport.. What we got was a 777 "First Class" is simply Business with a pair of pajamas. When we got to the airport gate to check on our seat assignments, the gate agent was exasperated because he said that two seats in first class on that plane had been broken for a while so didnt understand why they sold us those seats (at over $1100 each!). Downgraded from First/Business Class on United (Questions - FlyerTalk Qantas said that they were not responsible because the ticket was issued by AA. When youre asked by a flight attendant or gate agent to change seats, its usually to help families sit together, allow caregivers to sit next to patients, or accommodate an air marshal or other airline employee. FWIW, having been downgraded on a rather expensive "discount" Z fare Business Class ticket, I'm inclined to agree about prioritizing by fare/status and actually publishing/communicating it to passengers. So if the COCs say how an involuntary downgrade is to be handled you have your answer (assuming there is no conflict with covering law). If you go on united refunds, there's an option for cabin downgrade. This is most likely to happen if everyone shows up or passengers from a canceled flight need to be rebooked and no one is willing to give up their seat in exchange for cash or a voucher. Everything else is just cutting corners, and if you're not going to try to delight people, the method doesn't really matter. The key thing to remember is to read the contract and I've yet to see a COC that makes any differentiation between a ticket paid for with cash and one that is paid for with miles. 3rd the CDG-CPH flight is basically all coach seats anyway. It was a last minute purchase for two of us. If it aint juicy, I wont bite. Because youre not buying an actual seat youre purchasing transportation. Downgrades can also happen for reasons beyond simple oversold flights. The airline can and will downgrade you if they choose so your only option is to try and decide how you are going to deal with it. Even minor problems should get some miles back from AA if you make the effort. According to Ezeli, he had opted to upgrade to a first-class ticket for extra legroom, only to find out there was no first-class seating available on his flight, leaving the six-foot-eleven Ezeli in a coach seat (and closely bracing the seat in front of him). Airlines oversell their scheduled flights to a certain extent in order to compensate for "no-shows." Overselling in First Class should be rare. If they ask you to move, do it. Working with them to solve the problem to the satisfaction of all parties is the best option because they are holding all the cards. With award tickets, fare is technically zero, so you are not entitled to anything. ASAP claims they didn't do this and are looking into it. I have a confirmation email showing it was ticketed by United in this class with a ticket & confirmation number. Maybe you were looking forward to the roomier seats of business class, but now you've been involuntarily bumped down to the cramped quarters of economy. Each received a cool $10,000 for their . You can use money or miles to purchase a ticket in one of our premium cabins ( United Polaris business class, United First , or United Business ) when making your reservation, or change to a different seat or class of service after making your reservation. I got the first seat and boardedthis just left the other 1K in the gate area and he was starting to make a scene. Then the late flight meant I missed my new connecting flight, meaning I had to stay overnight in the inbetween city. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. 'If they take my seat, someone is refunding my money.' - The Daily Dot This seems to be the crux of the issue. . Call back and get a refund of 12.5k miles. Downgraded United Passengers Hit The Jackpot With $100,000 Compensation Unfortunately in my experience enforcing your contract requires going to court. Thats what TikToker Danielle Schwab (@watergirl8296) says occurred with her and her fiance on a United Airlines flight from London Heathrow Airport to Chicago. Without knowing the exact aircraft he traveled on (but judging by the photos of the planes seating arrangement), Ezeli likely flew on a tiny Q400 turboprop plane. The airlines do not make every seat in a cabin selectable in advance, a certain number of seats are held back for day of travel assignment. With elite Delta status. 4 reviews. When can I choose or change my seat? I got email from them where they told me I could check my hand luggage into the hold from LHR to HEL due to insufficient space in overhead compartment but not the bumped seat. Airlines offer partial refunds to flyers who have been involuntarily downgraded, but those incentives largely vary by the airline and the country. ), Still, its worth a shot to try and get a refund, anyway. Check here before booking an award fare. Airlines should want to provide an incentive to book flight tickets early, and one of those incentives should be better seat selection that doesnt change, absent an aircraft change. FROM GET A REFUND, TO CHANGE THE DEPARTURE DATE (FOR A FEE & DIFF IN FARE) TO "NO, YOU COULDN'T HAVE PAID FOR LA PREMEIR, YR TIX IS BIZ". Capital One Spark Miles Card: 8 Reasons To Apply, How To Redeem Miles For Singapore A380 Suites & 777 First Class, Biman Bangladesh To Order 10 Airbus A350s, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners, The regulations from the authority relevant to your flight (like the Department of Transportation). Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Fuck OP. I choose my seat assignment when I book my ticket and when I go to check-in United has moved me to a middle seat. Have the gate agent put anything they agree to in writing and follow up. If a passenger is on a short haul flight which is defined as up to 932 miles, then theyre entitled to 30% of the cost of their ticket. I actually almost had this happen to me right now. I paid for 1A seat in first class DFW-LHR. If the flight is up to 2175 miles, then fliers will get half of their ticket reimbursed. We booked these seats fair and square, and all the sudden my fiance, we just got engaged, my fiance just got moved to coach.. They also might ask you to move for safety reasons or to help redistribute the weight balance of the aircraft, especially on smaller planes. The first time, they changed my flight times significantly, meaning I'd miss a connecting flight, didn't tell me, and finally (after phone calls), I noticed they'd moved my seat into business class. Because of a snow storm the original flight was canceled and I was rebooked for the next day. I huffed and puffed and the kind agent only hesitated for a beat before booking me on another airline in J. When I got to my connection, they'd sold my seat so I was Y. I think AA gave me 2000 miles. Lame excuse on the airlines part. I was instead directed to the AAdvantage call centre. I complained and later found out the same thing as you: she was contract. D onald Buisman splurged on his flight from Kansas City to St. John in the US Virgin Islands by booking two first class seats on United Airlines. Any DOT protections? Downgraded seats and didn't advise or - United Airlines - Tripadvisor Re: Seat selection--downgrade. It probably is a bit paranoid, but it does sound like when a downgrade happens and the passenger wants a refund, there is no way to figure out what the equivalent coach price would have been if it had been purchased months ago. Agents get confused because situations like the ones mentioned involving partner premium awards are quite infrequent relatively speaking to the rest of the tickets that get changed during IRROPS or equipment swaps. the U.S. Department of Transportation says passengers are entitled to compensation. I don't care if I have to fly all the way around the world to avoid United, I will never give them one more cent of business. The AA agent submitted a request to the oneworld service desk, initially asking for QF to accommodate me in F on another day when the 380 was operating, however that request received no response despite F availability being wide open (though no award F of course). Another user speculated that there mayve been something fishy about the situation. In the lounge I hear a guy who had been delayed from Delhi say he is flying to SFO. The flight between Newark and Honolulu was short on business class seats, and as such 10 passengers were asked to take premium economy seats instead. To change your credit card: At Make changes to your plan, select Edit payment details. If the head of the family had no status and had used miles, then I agree they'd be the lowest priority people in the cabin and would be subject to downgrades in this situation. @Mike, Rather than determine compensation by the delay length, the EU sets compensation scales based on the flight's distance. FIFO - could be correlated to early buyers paying the least Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. See more about our ethics policies here. Unfortunately three hours later, I received the following email from United, with the subject line You have a new seat on your flight to Honolulu: We had to change the aircraft type for your April 14 flight to Honolulu (HNL). American The brand new 777-300ER and 787 aircraft include up-to-date amenities like fully flat seats and WiFi. 8 helpful votes. Any vouchers from airline B or refund in difference in miles from airline A - are just goodwill gestures. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Last year flying to Virgin Islands to meet all my kids, including HackMyTrip, I'd booked AA F with $. I would love advice. If they have to downgrade someone or deny somebody boarding they are within their rights to decide who they are going to break their agreement with. Enter your new credit card information, then select Update/Purchase. They told me they had called my name 3 times, and had then moved another passenger into my seat because his seat was broken. At departure I was give. As an added bonus, the Burbank-San Francisco flight was . I was flying AMS - LHR Club Europe. This happened to me back in September. Also, they live on fixed incomes and would appreciate the travel vouchers more than an Fortune 500 executive. I don't mind flying coach if I paid for coach, or if it's a last minute flight. Its pretty clear there was a broken seat and everyone got bumped down the chain. Fearns is now considering a lawsuit. A business Seat (13J) and an $800 voucher. Even then, as my experience demonstrates, the airline could still change your seat. When right-wing pundit Ann Coulter resorted to complaining on Twitter about having her seat moved on a 2017 Delta flight, she gave the world a golden example of how not to behave. And I am pretty good at negotiating with airline in such situations. Annoying, but I hadn't paid for the seat. Stuff happens. Refuse the vouchers? If i'm mistaken on those counts, then shame on AF. You might go ballistic but it is the airlines prerogative who they IDB. When it comes to your actual rights on an airline, there are two things to consider: Many airlines dont address downgrades in their contract of carriage. A woman angrily took to social media claiming that United Airlines downgraded her fianc from "first class to coach" so that a member of the flight crew could have his seat.