Q: Before the pandemic, my husband, my two friends and I were supposed to join a Gate 1 tour in Albania. Gate 1 booked us a Lufthansa flight, which consisted of three legs from San Francisco to Tirana via Amsterdam and Frankfurt. When we checked in at the gate in Amsterdam for the flight to Frankfurt, a Lufthansa representative told us that our reservation had been canceled. The agent at the boarding gate didn't give us a reason for the cancellation. We had to buy a new ticket to get to Tirana.
When we returned, we sent an e-mail to Lufthansa, requesting a refund for the ticket we had to buy. Lufthansa denied our request. It also rejected our appeal.
Can you help us get a refund of the $1,605 we had to pay for the new tickets?
A: If Lufthansa canceled the flight, it should refund your ticket. But did Lufthansa cancel your flight?
Your daughter contacted Lufthansa on your behalf. The airline said its records show that while the flight operated on schedule, United Airlines canceled your reservation. (United is a code-share partner with Lufthansa via Star Alliance.)
You asked United Airlines for help, but it deferred to Lufthansa. It also noted that you and your husband were "no-shows" for your flight to Tirana. That's not possible since you were traveling as a group, and your two friends boarded the plane as scheduled. If you're a no-show for a flight, then the airline automatically cancels the rest of your flights.
This is not the way it's supposed to work. Gate 1 should have taken ownership of this problem, finding a replacement flight and fighting for any refund. Instead, you were getting bounced between two airlines and a tour operator — and getting nowhere.
I list the names, numbers and e-mail addresses of all the executive contacts at Gate 1, United Airlines and Lufthansa at elliott.org. I probably would have started with Gate 1, since it booked the flights. Because your flights were on Lufthansa, my second stop would have been the German carrier.
