Asking Airlines For Compensation When They Mess Up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people you’re asking compensation from are not the same people who messed up. You seem to want to punish them yet they will never know that you called to cry that your seat wasn’t the same. What an enormous waste of time for a few miles they throw at you to go away.

It's not just a few miles, they are often totalled to 100s of dollars worth of miles and credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My time is too valuable to spend on the phone with customer service.

This. The miles they give are paltry and not worth the effort.

[Anonymous]

OP, why do you keep harping on “older” generations being rude? There are plenty of examples from your generation of terrible behavior.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s perfectly fine to do what you do, hold airlines accountable and let them know what is wrong in a civil, factual manner. I did that for my parents when an airline completely changed their itinerary last min bc their flight was not full, resulting in them bouncing over across several airports for two days. They got a very apologetic and nice response and a full refund.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My time is too valuable to spend on the phone with customer service.

This. The miles they give are paltry and not worth the effort.

My DH is like OP. He usually does it while driving or walking the dog or something. It is amazing how often you get something fairly substantial just for asking nicely.

I wouldn’t do it, and yes sometimes I find it awkward (this extends to car dealerships, buying appliances, etc. too) He can pretty much always get someone to knock some money off. He grew up in NY and he feels like not at least trying is “paying a suckers tax.” His high rate of success only feeds his theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s perfectly fine to do what you do, hold airlines accountable and let them know what is wrong in a civil, factual manner. I did that for my parents when an airline completely changed their itinerary last min bc their flight was not full, resulting in them bouncing over across several airports for two days. They got a very apologetic and nice response and a full refund.

They told you that the flight was cancelled because it wasn't full? I seriously doubt that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, why do you keep harping on “older” generations being rude? There are plenty of examples from your generation of terrible behavior.

OP has many studies that easily categorize tens of millions of people into a single group just because they were born within the same 15 year time span.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people you’re asking compensation from are not the same people who messed up. You seem to want to punish them yet they will never know that you called to cry that your seat wasn’t the same. What an enormous waste of time for a few miles they throw at you to go away.

It's not just a few miles, they are often totalled to 100s of dollars worth of miles and credit.

So what you’re saying is your time is not that valuable and you’re being petty. No seats at the lounge? Do you think they will build a bigger lounge for you?

[Anonymous]

You're fine, but I think you're bordering on that obnoxious level of self importance. If you act like this IRL (like you're so much better than everyone else) perhaps your spouse is reacting to that too. It may be wise to tone down how amazing you think you are and how everyone pales in comparison to you.

[Anonymous]

I can only imagine what a conversation with OP is like. How many times do you think they work in how much better they are than everyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Some posters asked for examples and said I sounded rude, so I want to clarify. I am not rude at all. I worked in service roles myself and I know how hard those jobs are. I am nothing like the older man and his wife I saw recently screaming at a gate agent because they wanted seats they never paid for (they book basic econ without assigned seats) I would never behave like that.

Since people asked for specifics, here are examples from just the past month. I travel a lot on this airline, so issues come up and these occur usually in chat:

An agent told us our family of four would be moved to the same row. At check-in we were split across three rows even though the agent confirmed the change. When I explained it politely in chat, they offered some credits.

An agent told me the last row of first reclined normally. On that aircraft it did not recline at all and the seat map flagged it as limited recline. I reported the incorrect information and they issued some miles.

On a short international flight I upgraded to first and went to the lounge early to get work done. It was so overcrowded there was nowhere to sit for over an hour, and two of the bathroom stalls were out of service. When I let them know afterward, they refunded the upgrade.

I booked a flight because it had lie-flat seats. A week before departure the aircraft switched to one without lie-flat. I explained the issue in chat and they provided some travel credit.

In chat I am never rude or demanding, and when I send a follow up email I am not angry. I just explain what happened clearly and respectfully. My real hope is that this leads to better training and better service, which should benefit everyone, not just me.

OH my.

You're a major PITA, OP.

And I bet I travel, or have travelled, at least as much as you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can only imagine what a conversation with OP is like. How many times do you think they work in how much better they are than everyone else?

I think OP is just waiting for an opportunity to score more miles like it’s a game. His wife must be so embarrassed to travel with him while he waits for his next “gotcha” moment. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can only imagine what a conversation with OP is like. How many times do you think they work in how much better they are than everyone else?

I think OP is just waiting for an opportunity to score more miles like it’s a game. His wife must be so embarrassed to travel with him while he waits for his next “gotcha” moment. Ugh.

I bet it’s not this. The points are never worth the disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can only imagine what a conversation with OP is like. How many times do you think they work in how much better they are than everyone else?

I think OP is just waiting for an opportunity to score more miles like it’s a game. His wife must be so embarrassed to travel with him while he waits for his next “gotcha” moment. Ugh.

I bet it’s not this. The points are never worth the disruption.

Having no seat at the lounge is a major disruption? Or not being seated in the same row as adult/teen kids? These are minor inconveniences at worst.

[Anonymous]

Oh my...

...and what does being a "high level executive" have to do with an airline and their customer service?