Overcrowded Flight with No Free Seats and Expensive Upgrades

Flight Journey Troubles

Unfortunately, I found myself facing poor service from Lufthansa once again. I was traveling from Boston to Frankfurt on a Y-class ticket issued by United but operated by Vietnam Airlines.

No Free Seats Available

One surprising aspect was that I couldn’t select a free seat, even just a standard one instead of a priority seat, despite holding a Gold card with Star Alliance thanks to Vietnam Airlines. Is this a common experience for *G passengers? Why is it that when flying with OneWorld or SkyTeam, I always have the option of free seats and luggage due to my card?

Complicated Booking Process

Eventually, basic seats only became “free” about two days before the flight. With United, I usually find online support through their app or website, and they are always willing to help with Economy+ seating. The opposite was true with Lufthansa: when I provided my booking code (PNR) or name, there was no response for 3-4 hours.

Ineffective Online Support

If I tried to ask “what’s going on?”, the system would request my information again. I’ve never encountered a live support agent in the chat. It was incredibly frustrating!

No Upgrade Options

I expected to have upgrade options since my ticket was in Y class, but once again, there was nothing. No upgrades to PE or J. Even calling wasn’t successful (on the second day of trying to reach Lufthansa, I managed to contact Swiss). What is Lufthansa’s business model? Are they heading towards bankruptcy?

Comparing with Other Airlines

When flying with Delta operated by Air France, I always have cash upgrade options available. It’s really a comparison between the French TGV and the Deutsche Bahn ICE trains. The ICE trains are sophisticated but often run late, while the TGV is straightforward but always on time.

Will There Be Lounge Fees?

Now I’m wondering—will they charge for lounge access in Boston tomorrow? That’s a big question.

Terrible Customer Service

The customer service center and website are truly a disaster. It might be due to the Lufthansa strike on April 10, 2026, but I spent a total of 6 hours on 3 different calls (they often disconnect after 2 hours) without being able to reach anyone at Lufthansa’s call center in the U.S.

Easy Calls with Swiss

The next day, I pressed “2” for Swiss in the first menu and immediately got a person on the line. The main reason I called was that my email address wasn’t showing up in Lufthansa’s booking (even though it was on UA’s side), but to add this address, they needed to send me a confirmation code via email (which I didn’t have!), and of course, the confirmation dialog was grayed out. Initially, I thought this website was designed by high school students using ChatGPT, but then I realized even ChatGPT wouldn’t make such basic design mistakes.