LH was already on bad terms with me after a terrible long-haul experience with them 2.5 years back followed by trying to argue last year I couldn't access their lounge at MUC before boarding SQ327 as a KF Gold unless I could get SQ staff to phone them and confirm the "KFEG" printed on my boarding pass wasn't fake/an error/[insert bizarre nonsense here].
Now I've really had enough of them!!!
I issue the following warning to all Star Alliance travellers:
I went to the LH website and booked and paid for a flight. It said "operated by Germanwings" but since I am being ticketed by LH, and Germanwings is wholly owned and controlled by them, I think that's okay. It tells me how many miles I can earn and I paid Lufthansa and received a Lufthansa E-ticket with no logo other than Lufthansa on it, including an LH logo printed next to each flight number. (This flight incidentally was DUS-BIO, which was in fact an LH flight less than a year ago until LH 'rebranded' it along with virtually all other flights out of DUS.)
I arrive at the airport with my LH E-ticket and Star Alliance Gold card. "Germanwings isn't a member of Star Alliance," I am told. "OK, but I am flying on a Lufthansa ticket." The reply: "Yes, we are in cooperation with Lufthansa but not a member of Star Alliance." This exchange went nowhere so I moved to the LH business check-in.
"No, you can't earn any miles off this flight unless you are a member of Miles and More". So no miles then. "Yes, you can use the lounge, however."
At the lounge: "No, this is a Germanwings boarding pass." (This of course ignores the gigantic LH logo on the boarding pass.) "But I booked and paid through Lufthansa because you are Star Alliance." I also explained the check-in said lounge access is possible. "No, we are the lounge, and we say it is not." This was followed by some discussion among colleagues right in front of me who all made the assumption I couldn't speak any German. Aside from being rude to the customer, it was a bad assumption. No lounge access or any apology ensued and arguing with Germans who are behind a desk is a frivolous exercise so I ended it quickly. Interestingly, this desk was adorned with a gigantic Germanwings logo.
So as tips:
*Don't ever trust LH to offer you any Star Alliance benefits (the long haul flight I once took came with an assurance the miles would be credited to my KF account- still waiting for that... )
*LH will sell you flights on planes they own and operate but insist they are not *A and simply cooperating with themselves.
*LH will happily take your money with the *A logo proudly displayed and also indicate LH levels of service and booking classes and then issue you with an e-ticket where each flight has an LH logo displayed next to it, as well as a gigantic LH logo on the top and a *A logo on the letterhead but then suddenly insist things are otherwise when you ask for the *A loyalty to be returned in kind.
Rant over. But hopefully I can save at least one other person on the forum for being deceived by this rubbish.
Now I've really had enough of them!!!
I issue the following warning to all Star Alliance travellers:
I went to the LH website and booked and paid for a flight. It said "operated by Germanwings" but since I am being ticketed by LH, and Germanwings is wholly owned and controlled by them, I think that's okay. It tells me how many miles I can earn and I paid Lufthansa and received a Lufthansa E-ticket with no logo other than Lufthansa on it, including an LH logo printed next to each flight number. (This flight incidentally was DUS-BIO, which was in fact an LH flight less than a year ago until LH 'rebranded' it along with virtually all other flights out of DUS.)
I arrive at the airport with my LH E-ticket and Star Alliance Gold card. "Germanwings isn't a member of Star Alliance," I am told. "OK, but I am flying on a Lufthansa ticket." The reply: "Yes, we are in cooperation with Lufthansa but not a member of Star Alliance." This exchange went nowhere so I moved to the LH business check-in.
"No, you can't earn any miles off this flight unless you are a member of Miles and More". So no miles then. "Yes, you can use the lounge, however."
At the lounge: "No, this is a Germanwings boarding pass." (This of course ignores the gigantic LH logo on the boarding pass.) "But I booked and paid through Lufthansa because you are Star Alliance." I also explained the check-in said lounge access is possible. "No, we are the lounge, and we say it is not." This was followed by some discussion among colleagues right in front of me who all made the assumption I couldn't speak any German. Aside from being rude to the customer, it was a bad assumption. No lounge access or any apology ensued and arguing with Germans who are behind a desk is a frivolous exercise so I ended it quickly. Interestingly, this desk was adorned with a gigantic Germanwings logo.
So as tips:
*Don't ever trust LH to offer you any Star Alliance benefits (the long haul flight I once took came with an assurance the miles would be credited to my KF account- still waiting for that... )
*LH will sell you flights on planes they own and operate but insist they are not *A and simply cooperating with themselves.
*LH will happily take your money with the *A logo proudly displayed and also indicate LH levels of service and booking classes and then issue you with an e-ticket where each flight has an LH logo displayed next to it, as well as a gigantic LH logo on the top and a *A logo on the letterhead but then suddenly insist things are otherwise when you ask for the *A loyalty to be returned in kind.
Rant over. But hopefully I can save at least one other person on the forum for being deceived by this rubbish.
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