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From the reader mailbag, Lena asks:

We are going with Lufthansa next week to Frankfurt on miles tickets,can we upgrade?If so how?

The short answer is no. If you’re traveling on a ticket “paid for” with miles, then you can’t officially use normal upgrade methods, like miles or certificates, on Lufthansa or any other airline. There are exceptions, though:

1) You may be upgraded if the flight is oversold and you get moved up to make room for someone else. This is called an operational upgrade, or “op-up.” See here for more info. It has happened to me on award tickets, once: Business class award tickets, we were already in our seats, someone else had the same seat numbers on their boarding passes, and we got moved up to first class. Pure, unadulterated luck. So don’t count on it.

2) Some airlines allow for travelers to purchase upgrades at the time of check-in. It all depends on availability, timing, potentially your status in the frequent flyer program, and above all, luck. United, for example, doesn’t seem to differentiate between paid and award tickets when they offer to sell you the upgrade at their automated kiosks. (We got an upsell offer a few weeks ago on award tickets from Washington-Dulles to Amsterdam — $550 to move from economy to business — which we declined, since we already had seats 21 H and J.)

Since you’re traveling with Lufthansa, there is no option 2 that I am aware of. Readers can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never heard of upgrades for purchase on LH. You’re most likely going to be sitting in coach. But have a great trip!

And readers should feel free to send in other questions by clicking on the “contact” link at the top right of the blog.

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tags: travel | air travel

European friends are bewildered that I’m not as excited as they are about the upcoming World Cup. To them, and to soccer (or football) fans world wide, my apologies.

The World Cup brings out the competitiveness in teams, in nations, and in airlines as well, it seems. Case in point: The competition is in Germany, so Germany’s Lufthansa painted soccer balls on the nosecones of 40 of its planes, angering official tournament sponsor Emirates Airlines and the international soccer organization FIFA.

In any case, to explain the lack of general World Cup excitement in the US, with some ha-ha’s, I refer them (and you) to this snippet from the Simpsons, which could serve as a kind of instructional video.

May the best team win…

(image: jetblasts2k on flickr)
tags: soccer | football | world cup

Looks like Germans are following in the great American tradition of suing everyone.

According to this article in a German medical daily (!?), an unnamed airline (cough, Lufthansa, cough…) was found liable for confusing its passengers by codesharing.

The plaintiff’s ticket was issued by one airline, with its own flight number, but operated by another under a codeshare agreement. The passenger lined up to check in with the airline who ISSUED the ticket, not the airline actually operating the flight. He missed his flight and sued. The airline’s argument was simple: He should have read the ticket and checked the airport monitors. But the Oberlandesgericht (~state supreme court) in Frankfurt found in favor of the plaintiff and awarded him 10,000 euros.

Some codeshares can indeed be confusing, but come on… Suing?? Knowing where you’re going is a minimum basic skill for travel.

Codeshares indeed have their pluses and minuses. On the one hand, you open up a range of additional flight options, with mileage-earning opportunities. Perhaps most attractively, the price for the same flight may vary, depending on which airline is selling it. Same schedule — same plane! — but different price.

But there are real downsides, too, though. You don’t always earn miles on a codeshare as you would on the issuing airline’s operated flight, even if the airlines are in the same alliance; rather, you earn according to the rules accorded to the partner airline. (I believe American Airlines is an exception: If you buy a codeshare with an AA number, you get miles as if it’s AA.) Upgrades may be a problem. Changing a ticket may involve an additional layer of bureaucracy.

Seat assignments can be a pain in the butt, too. A family member recently reserved a flight operated by Lufthansa, but sold with a United flight number. Her seat assignments were missing by the time she checked in with Lufthansa. The check-in agent scoffed, “Oh, it’s a United-issued seat assignment? No wonder.” Nice to see the Star Alliance working so seamlessly. (The lesson: call the operating airline for seat assignments.)

She got a seat, but not the one she reserved weeks earlier. Maybe she should have sued for compensation.

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tags: travel | air travel | codeshare

Question in the reader mailbag:

Why is that that whenever I’m flying, no matter where I’m going, what airline I’m on, or who paid for the ticket, I always end up designated in the very last group to board the plane? It never fails that I’m in the last group called, no matter how many groups there may be. What does this say about either my worth as a customer or as a human being? What are the arcane logarithms that determine who ends up in what boarding group?
– Completely Reamed And Manipulated Passenger in Seattle

Dear C.R.A.M.P. in Seattle, (intentional or coincidental anagram, by the way?)

I feel your pain. While boarding early and spending an extra 20 minutes in a narrow seat is no picnic, boarding late is even worse, especially if you are carrying on rather than checking in your luggage. The earlier you board, the earlier you are able to stow your stuff near your seat in the precious overhead bins.

It used to be that passengers were boarded by row, but nowadays, “seating areas,” “boarding groups,” or “zones” are more common. However, each airline has its own rules regarding boarding, as well as its own seating area numbering logic. In general, the first zone to be called consists of elite-level frequent flyers. Early boarding is generally a published benefit of the status.

For example, USAirways seats their top frequent flyers, along with Star Alliance Gold elites from partner airlines, in seating area 1. Star Alliance Silver elites are relegated to seating area 2. The masses are relegated to seating areas 3 through 5.

United puts all the eligible elite flyers in seating area 1. Thereafter, window seats are designated seating area 2, middle seats are 3, and aisles are 4. Flying on United, like the aisle seat, and not an elite? You’ll be the last group to board. This process (called “WilMA,” presumably for Window Middle Aisle) is meant to speed up boarding so the people at the window move right in to their seats and unblock the aisle. Delta is supposedly instituting a similar policy soon. Does it work? Opinions vary.

Southwest is notable for its open seating policy, but they too have seating areas, designated by the letters. Since there are no assigned seats, it’s even more important to get the coveted seating area A. The earlier you check in, the better your seating area. Therefore, check in online as early as you can, 24 hours before takeoff if possible, to assure a boarding pass in “A.”

Jetstar of Australia similarly offers three zones — orange for passengers requiring assistance, blue for the early check-ins, and silver for the rest. I like how “silver,” which sounds more prestigious than “orange,” is actually last to board…

Other airlines print a seating area on the boarding pass and then proceed to ignore it. Lufthansa has “zones” on their boarding passes, but I have yet to see a boarding call by zone.

In any case, the bottom line is, if you want to board earlier consistently, the only guarantee is to attain elite status within an alliance. Failing that, check in as early as possible. It’s no guarantee, but it improves your odds.

tags: travel | air travel