I flew business class as I often do, from Frankfurt to Las Vegas last month (photo) for a vacation. I have been flying Condor for decades because they have one way, direct flights to Vegas, where Richard and I used to enjoy ourselves on our way to Arizona and California by rental car.
On 8/20 I attempted to make a reservation from Las Vegas to Frankfurt, for about 8/30. I have friends visiting me in Germany on 9/5 No problem, Business was full, so was Premium. So, I was stuck with the misery of Condor's economy. I went online, signed up for a wider seat for $60.00 (with photo of cabin showing it) and a premium food order for an extra $22.00. I downloaded the email pdf confirming the ticket, the seat and the premium food including the total amount . I did not have a printer. When at the ticket counter, one shows passport, voila, they pull up what you purchased, give you a boarding pass and off you go to the plane.
When I got seated on the plane I asked in a very friendly manner if I have a larger seat and they said no. I said but I paid 60.00 for something. They said the 60.00 must be for people who want to sit together. I said with one reservation? I am alone. The Stuart could not figure it out, so I let it go. He shrugged his shoulders and said "he had no idea. Never heard of that". He asked me to show it him on my ticket and said he could see what he could do, but the plane was full. At least he tried. Internet was still available, so I proved that I paid it on my confirmation (email). Apparently, I had made one reservation for a normal sardine size seat and was charged $60.00, just so. That was in addition to my ticket price and food upgrade.
A very friendly young man I will call Hunka put my stuff overhead for me and sat down next to me. We introduced ourselves. I needed water. There was none offered. Most flights have water bottles on the seat when coming in. I told them I needed to take my meds, please when time permits, a small amount will do. I had a window seat. It was soon dinner. I paid $9.00 for a movie and asked for water for almost an hour. No one told me that you have to pay for earplugs separately. This was stuff My deceased husband took care of in our past. I tried to ask. Nothing doing. Almost everyone had been on the plane from hot Las Vegas without water. There were lots of people complaining. I had no water, a few movies and no earplugs. After a while, someone gave me a set found on the floor. I used them. No one responded to the light I turned on overhead.
Dinner came after a couple of hours. It was placed next to my neighbor. Rice and vegetable hash of some kind. He opened it, looked at it and told a stewardess that he wanted a Gluton free meal. The lady looked at the handsome man, swept his food from his food tray and immediately brought him a superior meal. They ignored me. I said excuse me, I think I would like one of those dinners. A snooty girl went to get me a normal dinner. I said I paid $22.00 for the premium one. She said that I did not. I said it is the same as the Gluton free. She asked me how she is supposed to know that! I said I have no idea idea other than I ordered online on the ticket 10 days ago, and the airline offers it with much fanfare on its websites, so I assumed that there would be a ticket attached to my seat number. She went to get a normal dinner and placed it on my tray. I thought about it for a minute, and told her that I do not want that, to please remove it. I want my second problem solved.
The stewardess ignored me. I sat there while other people ate. I asked if she was going to let me go hungry. I asked her to please speak English and she said that I speak German and why I do not speak in the language I know. She refused English. (I speak German fluently but THINK in English, so I am faster in thinking.) She said that she will get a superior to tell me that I can not have the dinner I want, but the one I can get. I said, "that is great, because that is exactly who I want to talk to.". A nice young guy came by. Mr. Ehrenberg. He asked me what the problem was. I explained the seat problem, then the food problem. He was going to solve my problem.
The man asked me to prove that I paid for my meal! I asked him how I am supposed to do that and that yes, if I had internet I could certainly do that, but we have been in the air for hours with no internet. I had shown my ticket to the Stuart down the way (pointing). That was not good enough. I had the hunk get up next to me, let me out of the sardine can, get my purse and bag down, looked for the iPad, turned it on, looked for the email confirmation again, and promptly proved my $22.00 food upgrade because I had the ticket in pdf form a few hours earlier.
More on the next review. read more