[AnsgarWilke]

Tried to check in for a flight from Atlanta to Munich today (due to the long queue 50 min instead of the required 60 min for international flights). Airline agent told I could not get the flight (did not even TRY to call at the gate to see if check-in was still possible) and that the only option would be to pay an additional 6000 (!!) USD and fly to another German city or pay another 1300 USD and fly the next day to Munich. In between this "ticket agent" even received private telephone calls on his mobile; I saw that I could not expect any help from this guy ... After choosing the option to fly the next day and returning home, found out that there were another 5 Delta flights that same day (with later departure) that would have brought me to Munich in time. Agent was either completely incapable or his intention was mainly to rip me off and not to help me. DONT TRUST DELTA CHECK in AGENTS - they might just want to get rid of you and not to help. Don't believe them but TRY TO CONFIRM whatever they tell you with other people or information sources.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Ansgar:

Have you had a bad experience with Lufthansa? ("LH") Yes, they're more expensive. On the other hand, with Delta, you can see that the lower fare really isn't worth the aggravation.

While Lufthansa ground staff can be just as abrasive as the workers for US-based airlines, LH staff also pride themselves on being accurate. Accordingly, if there had been a later LH flight, that day, you would have been told.

Your story is another example of the advantage of booking a business class ticket. If there is a problem--such as arriving late at the airport--your ticket is fully refundable, and any additional fare payment, resulting from a change in flight plans, is either non-existant, or substantially smaller than what you paid. It sounds like you wound-up paying at, or near, business class fare--for coach service.