Asking Airlines For Compensation When They Mess Up?

[Anonymous]

i can't finish reading OP. nauseating amount of self-promoting bullsh*t.

[Anonymous]

Your tone comes off as self-important like others have mentioned, so I'm sure that's what's off-putting. We have high status and the only time I reached out to to CS was to provide a taxi receipt for $350 to a friend's house in the middle of the night during the time they were on strike and explained it was cheaper than a hotel, which they paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me get this straight - on an international flight you upgraded to 1st Class, and they refunded you for the more expensive flight ticket because some bathroom stalls in the airport lounge were out of order?

+1, This one is mind boggling.

Also a troll alert that the OP wasn't already in first for an international flight since she is so "high level".

[Anonymous]

Airlines are actually required *by law* to provide compensation in certain circumstances. It's unacceptable for billion dollar businesses to try and skirt the law and their legal requirements.

Canada has slightly more robust air passenger right laws, but the EU is really good. We should be pushing to protect our rights and hold these businesses accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

For those examples, complaints likely will have no impact on service quality.

Airline lounges are crowded everywhere these days. If it is not crowded, one got lucky. Airport space (sq ft) is inherently limited, so usually difficult or impossible for an airline to obtain more lounge space. Complaints cannot alter this reality either.

Airlines never want to do aircraft swaps, but they will happen unavoidably when unscheduled maintenance is needed on aircraft. Again, complaints cannot alter this reality.

Last row of any cabin is unlikely to fully recline. Yes, sometimes one gets lucky and it does fully recline. An actual frequent flyer usually knows this and plans accordingly. No, this is not knowledge a reasonable person would expect every agent to know or have immediately available to them.

If one does not have in-hand boarding passes indicating the group actually is seated together, then they will not be seated together. This is common sense that most flyers know. Again, on a (nearly) full aircraft the airline will not yank other people's seating just to accommodate a higher status passenger. This complaint also is unreasonable and unlikely to change anything.

OP has unreasonable expectations and complains about things airlines often cannot control.

I would never do as OP describes doing -- and I have lifetime status (and about 2M BIS miles) on a major US flag airline.

OP here. Just to clarify, every one of these issues was documented in customer service chat. I did not invent expectations. The agent wrote that our seats would be moved together, wrote that the last row reclined normally, and wrote other details that were simply incorrect. When the airline provides wrong information in writing, it is reasonable to address it afterward.

On the lie-flat issue, I understand aircraft swaps happen, but selling one product and delivering a different one at the same price is a legitimate concern.

As for the lounge, this airline does not manage access well. Other airlines limit entry or provide overflow options. In this case there was literally nowhere to sit for an hour and half the bathrooms were broken, after paying for an upgrade. That is worth raising. If enough people speak up, the airline might improve the situation.

On seating, I was not assuming they would move others. The agent stated in writing that the change was made. If customers cannot rely on documented information, that is a training issue.

I am never rude or demanding. I just explain what happened and let the airline decide how to handle it.

How stupid can you get? Everyone knows these don't recline.

[Anonymous]

I understand where OP is coming from. I once had a confirmed first-class ticket only to be involuntarily downgraded at the gate. After I complained I got some miles back, a food voucher to replace the meal I was missing, and a voucher for future travel that paid for my next trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand where OP is coming from. I once had a confirmed first-class ticket only to be involuntarily downgraded at the gate. After I complained I got some miles back, a food voucher to replace the meal I was missing, and a voucher for future travel that paid for my next trip.

That's different- you paid extra for a service you weren't provided, that's a standard thing to get compensated for, usually at the very least you will get the fare difference.

https://onemileatatime.com/guides/flight-downgrade/

A lot of what OP is talking about are much less clear and not as obviously monetary. Although I will say that being downgraded from a lie flat seat to a recliner is significant, even though technically it doesn't qualify as a cabin downgrade if it's in the same class of service. You aren't guaranteed a specific seat type, just a class of service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse thinks I am being difficult, and I want to know how others see it. We are a family of four with a teenager and a college student, and for the last five years we have mostly flown business or first class. I hold very high elite status from flying for work multiple times a week, and I recently stepped into a high level executive role by being in the right place, working hard, and building strong relationships with both boomers and Gen X leadership. I see how rude and entitled some people in those generations can be in travel situations, and I never want to come across that way.

When something goes wrong, such as incorrect seats or an agent giving wrong information, I contact customer service and explain what happened. I am a millennial, not an older angry traveler stereotype. I am always respectful. I never raise my voice, never demand anything, and never make a scene. I have worked in service roles myself, so I understand how difficult those jobs can be and I speak to people the way I would want to be treated. I simply describe what happened and ask if the airline can offer consideration.

Because of my status and the money we spend on flights, the airline often provides miles or credits. My spouse finds this embarrassing, even when the airline clearly made mistakes.

Is it wrong to ask for compensation in these situations, or is it reasonable to expect accuracy and proper service when you have paid and earned this level of travel experience?

Just so you know, the worst stereotype for pain in the a$$ ness is not older people or even the 80 year old boomers, but wealthy millennial women.

Your demographic is notorious for being exceptionally difficult yet blind to how notoriously difficult you are as a group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP sounds exhausting.

Because she is a wealthy millennial woman

[Anonymous]

You are exhausting, rude and petty. Listen to your husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me get this straight - on an international flight you upgraded to 1st Class, and they refunded you for the more expensive flight ticket because some bathroom stalls in the airport lounge were out of order?

Things that never happened for $500 please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, let me get this straight - on an international flight you upgraded to 1st Class, and they refunded you for the more expensive flight ticket because some bathroom stalls in the airport lounge were out of order?

+1, This one is mind boggling.

Also a troll alert that the OP wasn't already in first for an international flight since she is so "high level".

Read closer: I upgraded to first class for a short international flight. Part of the service is lounge access for international flights. They refunded me the upgrade I paid for, not the full ticket price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse thinks I am being difficult, and I want to know how others see it. We are a family of four with a teenager and a college student, and for the last five years we have mostly flown business or first class. I hold very high elite status from flying for work multiple times a week, and I recently stepped into a high level executive role by being in the right place, working hard, and building strong relationships with both boomers and Gen X leadership. I see how rude and entitled some people in those generations can be in travel situations, and I never want to come across that way.

When something goes wrong, such as incorrect seats or an agent giving wrong information, I contact customer service and explain what happened. I am a millennial, not an older angry traveler stereotype. I am always respectful. I never raise my voice, never demand anything, and never make a scene. I have worked in service roles myself, so I understand how difficult those jobs can be and I speak to people the way I would want to be treated. I simply describe what happened and ask if the airline can offer consideration.

Because of my status and the money we spend on flights, the airline often provides miles or credits. My spouse finds this embarrassing, even when the airline clearly made mistakes.

Is it wrong to ask for compensation in these situations, or is it reasonable to expect accuracy and proper service when you have paid and earned this level of travel experience?

Just so you know, the worst stereotype for pain in the a$$ ness is not older people or even the 80 year old boomers, but wealthy millennial women.

Your demographic is notorious for being exceptionally difficult yet blind to how notoriously difficult you are as a group.

OP here. I am not sure broad stereotypes about any age or gender group really help this discussion. What I described earlier was specific behavior I have personally witnessed from some older travelers, the very in-your-face, aggressive type who yell at staff over things they did not even pay for. I referenced that only to show the contrast, because I am nothing like that.

Everything I have raised here involves documented chat transcripts where an airline provided incorrect information. And when I follow up, I am polite in chat and email. I do not get aggressive or demanding. I explain what happened and let the airline decide whether to do anything.

So whatever stereotypes exist about any group do not apply to how I handle these situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse thinks I am being difficult, and I want to know how others see it. We are a family of four with a teenager and a college student, and for the last five years we have mostly flown business or first class. I hold very high elite status from flying for work multiple times a week, and I recently stepped into a high level executive role by being in the right place, working hard, and building strong relationships with both boomers and Gen X leadership. I see how rude and entitled some people in those generations can be in travel situations, and I never want to come across that way.

When something goes wrong, such as incorrect seats or an agent giving wrong information, I contact customer service and explain what happened. I am a millennial, not an older angry traveler stereotype. I am always respectful. I never raise my voice, never demand anything, and never make a scene. I have worked in service roles myself, so I understand how difficult those jobs can be and I speak to people the way I would want to be treated. I simply describe what happened and ask if the airline can offer consideration.

Because of my status and the money we spend on flights, the airline often provides miles or credits. My spouse finds this embarrassing, even when the airline clearly made mistakes.

Is it wrong to ask for compensation in these situations, or is it reasonable to expect accuracy and proper service when you have paid and earned this level of travel experience?

Unlike the rest of us, who got there by connections or sleeping with the Chairman of the Board.

You sound awful, actually. Really convinced of your superiority in many ways. Sh!tty behaviour is not generational, and while you may not raise your voice, I bet you come across as an entitled snot. You certainly do here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse thinks I am being difficult, and I want to know how others see it. We are a family of four with a teenager and a college student, and for the last five years we have mostly flown business or first class. I hold very high elite status from flying for work multiple times a week, and I recently stepped into a high level executive role by being in the right place, working hard, and building strong relationships with both boomers and Gen X leadership. I see how rude and entitled some people in those generations can be in travel situations, and I never want to come across that way.

When something goes wrong, such as incorrect seats or an agent giving wrong information, I contact customer service and explain what happened. I am a millennial, not an older angry traveler stereotype. I am always respectful. I never raise my voice, never demand anything, and never make a scene. I have worked in service roles myself, so I understand how difficult those jobs can be and I speak to people the way I would want to be treated. I simply describe what happened and ask if the airline can offer consideration.

Because of my status and the money we spend on flights, the airline often provides miles or credits. My spouse finds this embarrassing, even when the airline clearly made mistakes.

Is it wrong to ask for compensation in these situations, or is it reasonable to expect accuracy and proper service when you have paid and earned this level of travel experience?

Just so you know, the worst stereotype for pain in the a$$ ness is not older people or even the 80 year old boomers, but wealthy millennial women.

Your demographic is notorious for being exceptionally difficult yet blind to how notoriously difficult you are as a group.

OP here. I am not sure broad stereotypes about any age or gender group really help this discussion. What I described earlier was specific behavior I have personally witnessed from some older travelers, the very in-your-face, aggressive type who yell at staff over things they did not even pay for. I referenced that only to show the contrast, because I am nothing like that.

Everything I have raised here involves documented chat transcripts where an airline provided incorrect information. And when I follow up, I am polite in chat and email. I do not get aggressive or demanding. I explain what happened and let the airline decide whether to do anything.

So whatever stereotypes exist about any group do not apply to how I handle these situations.

That's some irony coming from the person who started it. You really don't come across as self-aware in any way, shape, or form.