In an earlier post, I detailed how I secured a last-minute Lufthansa economy ticket using points from Frankfurt (FRA) to Copenhagen (CPH) after my Scandinavian Airlines flight was canceled. I had a unique experience with upgrading this Lufthansa flight that I would like to recount.
My experience upgrading my Lufthansa flight using cash
As previously stated, I booked a Lufthansa economy ticket last minute with a partner points currency from Frankfurt to Copenhagen. This flight had a high occupancy in economy, and when I checked in online, I was unable to select a seat and found myself on the waitlist for a seat assignment.
I was certainly confirmed on the flight!
I made my way to the Lufthansa Business Lounge (accessible due to the Amex Platinum benefit) and approached the customer service desk there. Out of curiosity, I inquired about the cost of upgrading to business class with cash. I wasn’t even sure if that was an option for a partner award ticket, so I considered it more of a trial, if nothing else.
Under normal conditions, I typically have no problem with intra-Europe economy. However:
– I was not too thrilled at the idea of potentially ending up in a middle seat at the back of the aircraft, particularly if it could be avoided.
– I was genuinely quite worn out as I had been traveling for almost three consecutive days, which was beginning to take its toll (I struggle to sleep on planes).
– I had fairly large carry-on bags, and I knew I would probably encounter more issues with those if flying in economy.
The lounge agent indicated that cash upgrades are only available at the gate, and I should inquire there. However, she then mentioned something else intriguing — she asserted that I wasn’t actually confirmed on the flight, but was merely waitlisted.
I followed up on that — I clarified that I had a confirmed ticket booked on this flight and suggested that perhaps my seat assignment was “waitlisted?” She maintained that I wasn’t confirmed, which I found rather odd, as it was clearly inaccurate. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, but one would expect agents to be more knowledgeable.
I proceeded to the gate and asked the extremely friendly gate agent about the chance of a cash upgrade. She confirmed that it was possible and explained that the cost varied based on the ticket type.
After a few keystrokes, she mentioned that the cost would be 150 EUR (it’s encouraging to know that partner award tickets can be upgraded with cash!). I was hoping the cost would be 100 EUR or less, considering it was a short flight, but I ultimately chose to go for it to avoid the uncertainty of potentially ending up in a very undesirable seat.
Honestly, as soon as I made the payment, I felt a bit of regret and thought I probably shouldn’t have done it, purely on principle, since it was above the rate at which I value premium cabins. However, my perspective on that shifted rapidly…
In an unrelated note, I spotted Lufthansa’s stunning centennial 787!
A significant Lufthansa flight delay made the upgrade worthwhile
The flight boarded punctually at 9:50 AM (for a scheduled 10:20 AM departure), with the aircraft departing from a remote stand. I was on the plane by 10 AM, ready for the brief journey to Copenhagen.
The Lufthansa A320 I traveled on to Copenhagen
By around 10:20 AM, everyone was on board, yet there was no sign of an imminent departure. In the meantime, the Lufthansa app updated to indicate an 11 AM departure.
The flight was initially delayed by 40 minutes
A short time later, the captain made an announcement explaining that none of the bags had been loaded yet and that it would take approximately 40 minutes for that process to occur. He expressed confusion as to why there were no ground handlers available for our flight, but what a chaotic situation…
About 20 minutes after that first announcement, the purser entered the cockpit, then returned to relay information to another flight attendant, after which they called the flight attendants in the rear. They appeared quite frustrated, so I was curious as to what was occurring.
A minute later, the captain announced that due to the delay in loading the bags, we had missed our takeoff slot. And, because Copenhagen was facing high winds, they were limiting arrivals, with our new takeoff slot being… in two hours.
Side note — while it’s pleasant when pilots try to make the best of a situation, I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly when he said, “I hope this information does not cause you too much inconvenience, please make yourself comfortable onboard.” Yes, these intra-Europe planes are incredibly comfortable, right? 😉
The flight attendants on this trip were definitely not the most charming I’ve encountered on Lufthansa, but they made an effort with the limited resources they had. In business class, they offered