Lufthansa Air Lines

Review: I was flying internationally and called the airline to see what charges I would incur to change my flight (due to a short connection time). I specifically told the ticketing agent that I did not want to change my flight if there would be any cost associated with it. She told me that there would be a $500 change fee, however I would receive a $2,700 refund. I went to the airport to check in, I realized the reason there was a refund was because they cancelled one leg of my trip. They reissues the ticket, which I already paid for, and told me I would not be receiving the refund. I asked them to reverse the $500 change fee but they refused. I do not want the refund, I do not think that is equitable, but the refund of $500 is just. I specifically told the agent I would not change the flight if there were any costs associated with it. I only changed the flight because of the refund they told me I would receive. I paid over $7,000 for this ticket.Desired Settlement: I would like the $500 change fee refunded since I only changed the flight due to the ticketing agents representation.

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted], REF [redacted] Thank you for your correspondence and for choosing Lufthansa for your travel needs. We are sorry to learn of the circumstances which prompted you to write and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. According to the history of your reservation, you had purchased a roundtrip ticket on August 22 from JFK to Minsk with a return from Vilnius and an email confirmation regarding your flights and departure times were sent to you. However, you had contacted our Call Center on October 3 and had requested to change your return flights to an earlier departure time with a longer layover in Frankfurt. Therefore, our staff had rebooked your return flights home accordingly and had advised you that there would be a rebooking fee of USD500. As per Lufthansa’s tariff filings, the fare type purchased was a restricted ticket and incorporated fees which are applicable after ticket issuance. Whenever the data on a ticket is voluntarily amended by the customer; a change fee is applied. Please understand that we also incur additional costs associated with special and restricted fares when there are any cancellations or changes and therefore we regret the fee that was correctly collected is non-refundable. Mr. [redacted], our response may not be the one anticipated and we appreciate your understanding of our position. We value your patronage and look forward to welcoming you on board a future Lufthansa flight once again.

Consumer

Response: