A Flights by Celebrity error that worked to my favor.

[Stockjock]

23 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Wow.  I certainly think they hit the mark as far as acknowledging your grievances and a heartfelt apology.  However the OBC credit amount is in dispute still? 

 

I think you are going to get a Christmas card from them at the end of the year.

It's a well-composed reply.  

Not holding my breath on the Christmas card, however, unless the holiday greeting is part of an advertisement for "The Greatest Sale Ever, We Promise!", with prices higher than prior sales.

Edited June 26, 2023 by Stockjock

[peanut head]

This has been quite a story to follow...and hopefully the "cruised happily ever after" will be the ending.  I was getting worried that they were going to eventually seat you in the luggage hold🤣.  Wishing the 2 of you a wonderful cruise and that this part will just be a memory that you'll reminisce about in years to come. 

[mpk]

On 6/25/2023 at 12:36 PM, Stockjock said:

Here's a link on a story where booking w/Amex Platinum saved the traveler nearly $300,000.  And they only put the taxes on that card, as it was award travel.

https://viewfromthewing.com/know-benefits-amex-platinum-medical-evacuation-claim-award-ticket-saves-275000/

 

Thanks for that.  I fly on miles/points 99% of the time, and always wondered if credit card insurance would back me up.

[Stockjock]

13 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

Thanks for that.  I fly on miles/points 99% of the time, and always wondered if credit card insurance would back me up.

As they say, the devil is in the details.  Typically, if you buy travel insurance, then that's what you make a claim on.  If not, it's important to put 100% of at least part of the trip on the Amex Platinum.

So I think...

100% of the cruise paid w/Amex Platinum, potentially covered.

100% of the flights paid w/Amex Platinum, potentially covered.

100% of the taxes on an award flight purchase, potentially covered.

Anything less than 100% not covered.

We did a Celebrity NYE cruise 2 year before last.  On our return flight, Southwest cancelled it literally at the last minute (found out as we exited the ship).  Amex reimbursed me for the hotel, meals and transportation which I think was around $400.  Later, SW provided some future flight vouchers as well.  We flew out of Miami the next day, but we had a nice evening on Amex's dime.

Remember too, if you go this route, it may be necessary to coordinate things through their Global Assistance Hotline, especially things like emergency medical air evacuation.  I believe those numbers are 800-345-2639 or 715-343-7979 (call collect if out of the USA).

Edited June 26, 2023 by Stockjock

[RichYak]

11 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

Thanks for that.  I fly on miles/points 99% of the time, and always wondered if credit card insurance would back me up.

I once booked an entire RCL cruise using Chase Ultimate Rewards points that I had to cancel just a few days prior to sailing due to a medical condition and doctor's orders. The credit card insurance claim took a while but I was made whole.

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, Stockjock said:

FWIW, just got another reply from Celebrity...

 

I hope this email finds you well. On behalf of Flights by Celebrity, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for the frustration and inconvenience you and Ms. X experienced regarding your return schedule change flights from Athens (ATH) to San Diego (SAN). We deeply regret the series of errors and miscommunications that occurred.

 

I want to assure you that your feedback and concerns have been taken very seriously, and we are actively investigating the issues you raised. It is disheartening to learn that our service failed to simplify your travel experience as intended, and instead caused significant frustration and stress. This is not the level of service we aim to provide, and we deeply regret the disappointment you and Ms. X experienced.

 

Regarding the confusion surrounding the changes to your flights, I apologize for the contradictory information you received from our representatives and Lufthansa. And we are committed to addressing this matter to prevent similar occurrences in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the cancellation of your business class upgrade and the subsequent reissuance of the original ticket. It is truly regrettable that our actions resulted in the loss of such a valuable and exciting opportunity for you and Ms. X.

 

Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude for your patience and perseverance during your numerous calls to our customer service team. It is understandable that the extended duration and multiple disconnects were extremely frustrating. We acknowledge the importance of efficient and effective customer support, and we are actively working to improve our processes and provide our agents with the necessary tools to better assist our valued customers.

 

I do want to confirm that if you would like us to give control to the airline, there will be no penalties or price difference on our end.

 

Once again, please accept our most sincere apologies for the inconveniences you and Ms. X experienced. We truly value your feedback and the opportunity to rectify the situation. We remain committed to providing you with a smooth and enjoyable travel experience on your upcoming cruise with Celebrity Infinity.

 

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Warm regards,

And my reply...

Unless you have any other suggestions, relinquishing control of the return flight seems to be the best course of action, as I can then address the situation directly with Lufthansa.

Why would you only want control of the return flight?  Why just not have control over the complete booking to avoid any confusion. I would fear that splitting the reservation is a potential source of confusion.

Certainly  easier to make changes directly with the airlines and most airlines do not have change fees now.  
 

Nice letter from CA.

[Stockjock]

The outbound looks pretty good to me, and perhaps their services could come in handy?  They may cancel that too, I'm just not sure.

I'll see what they do once they reply w/confirmation.  I appreciate the role that travel agents can play, but obviously there are times where it's much easier to communicate with the airlines yourself.

[Stockjock]

As an update, for anyone who cares, just got a call from the Executive Offices and the woman I spoke to was super nice and really seemed quite genuine.  She's going to look into the situation and see what can or cannot be done and then get back to me in a few days.

Not holding my breath, but at least the response to the problem seems pretty good.

[mahdnc]

6 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

As an update, for anyone who cares, just got a call from the Executive Offices and the woman I spoke to was super nice and really seemed quite genuine.  She's going to look into the situation and see what can or cannot be done and then get back to me in a few days.

Not holding my breath, but at least the response to the problem seems pretty good.

 

You are a model of perseverance.  However I still think you should take time to hug a dog.

[Stockjock]

59 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

You are a model of perseverance.  However I still think you should take time to hug a dog.

I have a bird so that will have to do.

[Stockjock]

Just to further follow up, I got another message from Celebrity and they are trying to get me back on the business class flight. I don’t know if they will be successful, but I think it is great that they are making an effort.

 

Here’s the message I received…

 

I hope you are well. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today regarding the below.

 

I wanted to let you know that I will be reaching out to my back-office support team on your behalf to see if we can request the airline to place you back on the business class leg from ATH to IAD.

 

I will follow up with you in the coming days to share progress and updates.

 

Thank you, 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Stockjock

[wrk2cruise]

Sounds like you finally got to someone who may be able to help resolve.

[Stockjock]

20 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

Sounds like you finally got to someone who may be able to help resolve.

It seems like they are trying to make things better and that’s really all I can ask for.

[RichYak]

Just now, Stockjock said:

It seems like they are trying to make things better and that’s really all I can ask for.

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

[Stockjock]

38 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

Since you guys have made it this far, I will let you know what the outcome is, lol.

[Stockjock]

Again, not sure what will or won't happen, but doing an escalation to the executive offices seemed to elicit what I consider to be a solid response, with updates...

Dear Stockjock,

I hope your Wednesday is treating you well.

 

I just wanted to provide you with an update, we have shared the screenshots you provided to us in your initial complaint with our Lufthansa Airline Partner yesterday afternoon, she has advised she is looking into this further and advised she will provide us with an update by Friday. I should know more then and will reach out to share.

 

Thank you, 

 

 

Warm Regards,

[Stockjock]

Looks like my business class fiasco made it all the way to the CEO personally, lol.  Well, business class would have been nice, but after a lot of initial runaround, I am satisfied with their response.

Here's the message that I received today and my reply to it...

Hi Stockjock, 

 

I hope your Friday is treating you well. I appreciate all your patience while we’ve worked to review.

 

As you know, I’ve connected with our Lufthansa airline partner in the recent days for assistance. She was able to review the record in their reservation system and share with us the below findings.

 

• There was a 5-minute schedule change to your original booked itinerary departing Munich (MUC). Flight went from departing at 12:30pm to now 12:35pm.
  • 5-minute changes are considered minor and don’t warrant new flights options. Anything over 4 hours, is considered major and would have the option for re-protection.

 

• The upgrade was completed online, and could have taken place on the Lufthansa website or Lufthansa app.
• An internal process caught it and opened a trouble ticket by Lufthansa team to look into this further, because the reaccomodation shouldn’t have happened, furthermore to business class as original ticket was in economy. 
  • Currently, there is not a result for the trouble ticket, it’s still under review.

 

• On the 22^nd of June, the Flights by Celebrity team noticed the change to the UA flights, not knowing what had taken place, we rebooked the original itinerary as the original flight was still operating and no major changes (difference of 4hrs +) to the flight schedule were made. This is done to protect guests and ensure their trips are secured.

 

• Per Airline policies, with any valid major schedule changes, re-protection would take place in the same class of service as originally booked.

 

• Lufthansa has advised no business class upgrade would be provided even if due to their internal website system error.

 

I know this isn’t the outcome you and your girlfriend were hoping for, and the free upgrade to business seats, and at a better departure time were exciting. Unfortunately, it seems it was just technological glitch, and that would have been caught at some point by Lufthansa’s system.

 

While I can’t change Lufthansa’s ruling, I do want to recognize that your time is valuable, and the time you’ve spent on trying to address this is significant and for that I’m truly sorry. Not only has this has been looked at by myself, but by senior leadership members of Flights at a very high level to ensure we are analyzing and addressing areas of improvement so that we are providing Celebrity’s standard of service. I’m certain had this been handled differently; it would have immensely cut down on the time you’ve spent to address and eliminated a lot of frustration and stress. I do know personally, Laura has read your note, and has advised she is sending a complimentary bottle of champagne on the sailing for the way this was handled. 

 

I know you shared after realizing you depart at 6am, that time became less than ideal; would you like me to look into more desirable options for you? Given your experience I’d be more than happy to see what alternative itineraries may be available at this time. 

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything further, I can do to assist.

 

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday weekend!

 

 

Hello,

 

Thank you for the explanation.  It’s still an odd situation and I agree that it could have been better communicated and addressed.  At one point, I saw somewhere that the flight appeared to have been scheduled the prior (wrong) day of 9-11 rather than 9-12, but at this stage, there is no need to reexamine that.

 

Yes, I am open to looking at a later flight.  I would be nice not to have to wake up at 2 am to make a 6 am flight.  I’m also open to additional OBC or an upgrade, if possible.  Not sure you can do this, but it never hurts to ask.

 

Please congratulate Laura on her promotion and once again, as a former police officer, hopefully she saw my note on the good work that she has done to support police officers and their families during times of need.  I appreciate that.

 

Enjoy the 4th of July holiday weekend and thank you so much for your assistance.

 

P.S. As mentioned earlier, Anna at Flights by Celebrity was especially diligent in trying to help me during all of this, so be sure to note that.

 

Regards,

 

Stockjock

[wrk2cruise]

I guess at all levels they fall back on the free bottle of wine will make you happy.   It was good to see they did the research to find out what actually happened. 

 

The blame certainly is more on Lufthansa by presenting the option to rebook for a 5 minute schedule change, but FBC certainly didn't do anything to help.

 

I know at some point they offered you $200 OBC but you only got $100, did you ever get the other $100?   Not sure they will provide much more in terms of compensation since the root of the issue was on Lufthansa .   But I agree it doesn't hurt to ask.

Edited June 30, 2023 by wrk2cruise

[Stockjock]

29 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I guess at all levels they fall back on the free bottle of wine will make you happy.   It was good to see they did the research to find out what actually happened. 

 

The blame certainly is more on Lufthansa by presenting the option to rebook for a 5 minute schedule change, but FBC certainly didn't do anything to help.

 

I know at some point they offered you $200 OBC but you only got $100, did you ever get the other $100?   Not sure they will provide much more in terms of compensation since the root of the issue was on Lufthansa .   But I agree it doesn't hurt to ask.

I did have to work hard to get the $200, but I finally got that squared away.  Put it towards a drink package that I bought last night (50% off, not a bad deal).  Not sure if we'll "need" the Champagne, since we now have the drink package, but we'll drink the Champagne regardless.  The fact that it was sent by the CEO makes it a bit more meaningful, I suppose.

Right or wrong, I do suspect that it was a 24 hour, 5 minute schedule change rather than a 5 minute schedule change.  At one point, on Lufthansa's website, it showed the departure as 6:00 am on Sept 11 rather than Sept 12.  I phoned Flights by Celebrity to discuss the fact that the flight was booked on the wrong date.  They told me, "Don't worry about that, it will be corrected by the time that you make final payment."  And indeed it was corrected.  But assuming that the ticket was, at one point, changed from Sept 11 to Sept 12, again 24 hours and 5 minutes, that would have been a 4+ hour schedule change and thus opened up some alternative flight options.
 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Stockjock

[Stockjock]

I thought I would also upload this screenshot that I took just today. You can see that it still shows what I believe was the original erroneous booking on September 11. When I click through, it now shows the correct date of September 12, but when I clicked through a couple months ago, it was wrong.
 

My suspicion is that the flight schedule change was 24 hours and five minutes rather than five minutes, as I mentioned previously. Just adding the screenshot to show that there was something going on with this reservation where the flight booked was not on the correct date. 

 

i’m not going to worry about it too much at this point, but I don’t think it was triggered by a five minute schedule change, but instead, a schedule change exceeding 24 hours.

Lufthansa thinks it's a glitch/error based upon a 5 minute schedule change.  Again, not going to sweat it too much at this stage, but I think it may have been a legitimate offer, rather than a glitch, based on the aforementioned 24 hour, 5 minute schedule change.  

As to why I was offered business class on one leg, I looked at the seat map and economy was essentially sold out, so the system may have instead selected a cabin with some availability.  There was good availability in economy on the 2nd leg, which was why their system selected economy for that leg.
 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Stockjock

[mahdnc]

It sounds like LH caught the business class upgrade error and corrected it. You spent a lot of time on this. I appreciate you sharing the communication details. I hope you get assigned to a more convenient flight. 

[Stockjock]

24 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

It sounds like LH caught the business class upgrade error and corrected it. You spent a lot of time on this. I appreciate you sharing the communication details. I hope you get assigned to a more convenient flight. 

FWIW, I don't think it's an error.  I think it was a legitimate offering due to a 24 hour, 5 minute flight schedule change.  The system offered me an upgrade, as it was designed to do and one leg in business class was offered since economy is sold out.  I think that's how it is designed to work, so not necessarily buying Lufthansa's "glitch" and "error" explanation.

That said, you've got to pick your battles, and at a certain point, it shifts from trying to fix a problem (which I want to do) to whining (which isn't what I'm after).  Celebrity is now being highly responsive, imo, so hopefully they can offer some additional options.  The woman who is trying to help me is very sharp, imo.

[dlh015]

Even though I found a place on your iggy list, I would like to say that I am glad that you at least got some sort of relief/recognition through your perseverance and diligence.  

[mahdnc]

23 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

Even though I found a place on your iggy list, I would like to say that I am glad that you at least got some sort of relief/recognition through your perseverance and diligence.  

☝

Edited July 1, 2023 by mahdnc

[Stockjock]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

☝

Thx.  Not on the list.

But I think you do understand the situation when one is already frustrated and then others essentially pile on, stating or implying that it's not reasonable to be irritated.  Clearly, the irritated/aggrieved individual *must* be the problem.

I had this happen over on the MSC boards too, but not as bad lately.  MSC would pull all sorts of wild nonsense, but somehow, it was my fault, and/or I had no right to be annoyed.  The solution was simple.  Just don't cruise on them anymore if you don't like something that happened.  Easy peasy (for them).

Edited July 1, 2023 by Stockjock