Can You Get Downgraded From First Class on a Flight? What to Know

Here's what you need to know if you get involuntarily downgraded on a flight.

If you’ve splurged on a first-class seat, you expect to fly in a first-class seat. The difference between classes might not be huge on a smaller plane operating a short domestic flight, but the differences can be significant when you take a long-haul flight. If you paid for a lie-flat seat for a 14-hour flight but ended up in the middle seat in the back of economy, what can be done? I spoke with Mark Trim, the founder and managing director of RoundAbout Travel, a travel agency specializing in round the world airfares, to find out.

Although this terror-inducing situation might seem far-fetched, it happens more frequently than you might think. And, this happens all over the globe, so it’s important to be prepared. Here’s everything you need to know about flight downgrades, and what to do if it happens to you.

Causes of Flight Downgrades

It’s common for airlines to overbook their flights and assume that travelers will either not show up or cancel at the last minute. This way, they can ensure flights stay as full as possible. However, when all the passengers do show up on an overbooked flight, not everyone will be able to get on the plane — or sit in the seat they paid for. When this happens, folks in the economy cabin might get assigned a different flight, and folks in the business or first-class cabin could end up in an economy seat.

Another situation that causes downgrades is a plane change. If an airline needs to swap out an aircraft, the new plane could have fewer seats or different classes than the previous one, resulting in downgrades. Or, an airline might dedicate a business-class seat for the crew to rest, which causes someone to get bumped to economy. Whatever the reason, downgrades can be extremely frustrating, especially on longer flights.

Related: How to Get Upgraded to First Class for Free

Ways to Prevent Downgrades

There are a few things you can do to try to prevent a downgrade from occurring. Trim recommends booking seating in advance, even if there’s a fee. Not only will this prevent you from getting the dreaded middle seat, but it can also help prevent downgrades. Trim also recommends checking in as soon as possible. “Whether it's online check-in, where possible, or getting to the airport a little early, checking in before others will help reduce the likelihood of being downgraded,” says Trim.

In the airline industry, loyalty is often rewarded. Trim explains: “Amassing some status with a carrier does help in these situations as they are less likely to downgrade those with status when looking at an overbooked flight manifest.” Unfortunately, even if you do everything you can, sometimes downgrades are unavoidable.

Related: The Best Time to Ask for a Flight Upgrade, According to Flight Attendants

What to Do If You Get Downgraded

“If you are downgraded more than 48 hours in advance, it's likely due to an equipment change on your flight rather than overselling,” explains Trim. “You do not have to accept these and can ask for alternatives. Contact the airline to discuss your options, including a refund or reasonable alternatives based on their policies.”

You have a few options if you’re downgraded within the check-in window or right before your flight. If you’re already at the airport, talk to an agent to understand why you were downgraded and see the available options. You can ask to fly in the same fare class on a different flight or see if they will put you on a competitor airline, although this is unlikely.

If there isn’t an alternative option, request compensation immediately. Trim recommends asking if they can give you a voucher, extra miles, or frequent flier points to compensate you, in addition to any refunds due. “It is far more difficult to fight these things via outsourced customer service complaint forms down the track, which can take six to eight  weeks to even get a response,” says Trim. It’s best to get it handled while you’re talking to someone at the moment.

If you do end up flying in the downgraded cabin, make sure you keep all documentation, like your boarding pass. If you want to make a claim for a refund, as much evidence of the downgrade as possible will help your case. Ultimately, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires a refund of the difference in fares if a passenger is involuntarily downgraded, but this won’t help if your flight originates outside the U.S.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), if a consumer has been involuntarily moved to a lower class of service, they are owed the difference in fare. You are not entitled to compensation in the same way you would be if you were bumped from a flight or were delayed. The way this fare difference refund is calculated is fairly unregulated, according to Trim. If your booking is a one-way, nonstop flight, it can be a bit easier to calculate the difference in fare. It gets much more complicated if you purchased a round-trip ticket that includes a layover and only one of your legs was downgraded.

Even in more simple situations, these calculations will likely be heavily skewed in favor of the airline. Using an example scenario, let's say you paid $800 for a first-class ticket and purchased your flight six months in advance. If you had purchased an economy ticket at that time, it would likely have cost $200. You get downgraded to economy on the day of your flight, and the airline says the economy ticket is valued at $600. This new value is because it's the value of a last-minute booking with limited availability. In this situation, they'd refund you just $200.  "The difference [between] a prepaid, discount premium cabin ticket to a last-minute full economy fare could be negligible," says Trim. 

It’s important to note that laws will change based on where your flight originates and lands. Laws in the European Union require that passengers who are downgraded receive anywhere from 30 percent to 75 percent of the value of the ticket, depending on the length of the flight. Unfortunately, air travelers don’t have as many rights in the U.S., which is far less regulated.

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, downgrades can happen to anyone. Hopefully, if you experience a downgrade, the airline will do the right thing and refund you an appropriate amount. It’s important to understand that this isn’t a guarantee, and there are horror stories of people receiving nothing or very little in response to their downgrades. It doesn’t matter which airline, airport, or route and can essentially be on a case-by-case basis.

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