Booking.com downgraded my flights from London to Tokyo. Why can’t I get my $3,097 back?

If you paid for an upgraded airline seat but then got sent back to economy, what would you do?

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Need to know

• Elliw Hughes booked premium economy tickets through Booking.com and GoToGate but was downgraded to economy without consent.

• Booking.com initially blamed a “technical issue” and refused to provide a refund despite multiple follow-ups.

• EU regulation EC 261 mandates partial refunds for airline downgrades, but this wasn’t an airline issue — it was a booking agent failure.

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That’s the problem Elliw Hughes had to solve on a recent Air China flight from London to Tokyo that she’d booked through GoToGate and Booking.com.

Yep, they’re regular offenders in our consumer advocacy practice. But honestly, this kind of thing should never happen — even when you’re dealing with two intermediaries and a foreign carrier.

And yet, here we are.

Shortly after she paid $3,097 for her tickets, Hughes received an email that Booking.com couldn’t honor her seat reservation and that she should book her seats directly with Air China. But when Hughes logged into the Air China app, she discovered that Booking.com had reserved standard economy seats, which cost less than half of what she’d paid.

She was furious.

“I’ve contacted GoToGate daily since,” she says. “They are still escalating the issue but it’s not rectified. Can you help me get a refund?”

Hughes’ case raises some important questions:

• What are your rights when you’re downgraded on a flight?

• What is your travel agent’s responsibility when they sell you the wrong class of ticket?

• How long should it take for your travel agent to fix a seating mistake?

Before we answer those, let’s find out what happened to Hughes.

“You’ve turned our dream trip to Japan into a nightmare”

Hughes was stunned by the downgrade. It’s a 22-hour slog from London to Tokyo on Air China, with stops in Frankfurt and Taipei. Having a few extra inches of legroom is important to her, so getting sent to steerage class was the last thing she wanted.

Booking.com blamed the problem on a “technical” error but it didn’t say whose error. (We’ll get to that in a minute.)

“We were unable to complete the purchase of seats,” it added.

Hughes tried to fix the seating problem through Air China, but the premium economy section was booked. She only had two options: Accept a downgrade or ask for a refund and buy new tickets.

But there was just one problem: GoToGate and Booking.com were not responding to her request for a refund.

“I spoke to a customer service advisor on Tuesday, who apologized and told me this would be rectified within 24 hours,” she said to Booking.com in an email. “It’s now four days later and I’m still being told to wait. This is completely unacceptable. You’ve turned our dream trip to Japan into a nightmare.”

Hughes escalated this to our Booking.com executive contacts, but the answer didn’t change. Booking wanted her to accept the downgrade and would not offer a refund.

But should it?

What are your rights when your airline downgrades you on a flight?

This case brings up an interesting question related question: What happens if your airline downgrades you? If you paid for a premium economy class ticket, you have a right to a premium economy class ticket.

At first glance, this appeared to be an involuntary downgrade. Air China’s general conditions of carriage state that in the event of a downgrade, it would extend the validity of the ticket until China Airlines’ first flight on which space is available in the class of service for which the fare has been paid.

In other words, Hughes would have to wait until the next flight. But she wasn’t entitled to a refund.

But wait. Isn’t there a European rule that addresses this? As a matter of fact, there is.

EC 261 says when the airline accommodates the passenger in a lower class of service, the airline is obliged to reimburse a percentage of the ticket price purchased by the passenger. Airlines must reimburse their passengers within a week according to the following schedule:

Unfortunately, none of the rules and regulations require a full refund. Even so, Hughes’ booking agent should have responded to her requests for help. This was not an ideal situation.

But as noted, this was not an airline downgrade. This was a downgrade by GoToGate and Booking.com. So what’s their deal?

What is your travel agent’s responsibility when they sell you the wrong class of ticket?

Neither Booking.com’s nor GoToGate’s terms specifically address an involuntary downgrade. However, both businesses have an obligation to deliver the product they sold you. (You don’t have to be a lawyer or a consumer advocate to know that you should get the product you paid for.)

The ticket agent’s obligation is clear: Either get you a ticket on a flight in the right class or negotiate a full refund with the airline.

Why didn’t Booking.com do this? If I had to guess, it’s because air travelers are so used to getting subpar service with zero recourse. Maybe the companies felt that she had no legal recourse and would have to obediently accept her downgrade.

But if they did, they underestimated her.

How long should it take for your travel agent to fix a seating mistake?

I checked with Booking.com, and here’s where things get interesting.

It turns out Booking.com had made a mistake and failed to make the seat reservations in the right class of service. Although it offered her a refund of the price difference between economy and premium economy, that didn’t quite solve the problem for Hughes. So there had been a lot of back and forth — and mostly forth, if you know what I mean. Booking.com had become less responsive, which is why Hughes contacted my advocacy team.

How long should it take to make things right? The EU regulations assume the passengers were downgraded on the day of the flight, and they give airlines a week to fix it. But in Hughes’ case, there’s no reason to wait half that long. Four days of waiting is too much. I would say a problem like this should be resolved within 24 hours (in fact, I have emails from Booking.com in which it promises a resolution within a day.)

The technology exists to resolve a problem like this in real time. The endless foot-dragging, the buck-passing between Air China, GoToGate and Booking.com — it’s really unacceptable.

“We have resolved this issue”

My team reached out to Booking.com to see if we could straighten this out. Hughes didn’t have an explicit right to a refund, but she also had a right to a quick resolution instead of waiting around.

By the way, to those of you who are saying a flight from London to Tokyo with two stops can be endured in economy class, I would urge you to try it. I’ve done similar flights in economy, and it is absolutely no fun. Hughes was right to insist on getting the seats she booked. Or thought she booked.

Booking.com eventually agreed.

“After looking into this case, our customer service team has confirmed that due to a system error, the two premium flight bookings were downgraded,” it said. “We have resolved this issue by processing a full refund to the customer.”

And that’s all Hughes wanted.

“I’m ever so thankful for your help with this,” she told us.

Key takeaways

• When third-party agents like Booking.com or GoToGate mishandle seat classes, getting a refund can be a long battle.

• EC 261 protects passengers on EU-originating flights—but full refunds aren’t guaranteed.

• Downgrades caused by agents (not airlines) fall into a gray area with unclear consumer protections.

• Don’t rely on travel agents to fix booking mistakes promptly—escalate early and document everything.

• Consumer persistence and direct escalation are often necessary to resolve cross-party disputes.

Pro tip: If you’re paying extra for upgraded seats, always confirm class of service directly with the airline immediately after booking. Don’t wait.

FAQs

Does EC 261 guarantee a full refund for flight downgrades?

No. EC 261 entitles you to a partial refund based on flight distance and the percentage downgrade, not the full amount.

Who’s responsible if an agent sells you the wrong class?

The booking agent must either secure the correct ticket or refund you. The airline is not liable for the agent’s mistake.

How fast should a travel agent fix a downgrade issue?

Best practice: within 24 hours. Anything beyond that, especially without updates, is poor service.

Can I escalate booking problems with third-party sites?

Yes. Contact executive support teams, file complaints with consumer protection agencies, and if needed, seek media or legal attention.

What’s the best way to protect yourself when booking through third parties?

Immediately confirm all travel details with the airline. Take screenshots, save confirmation emails, and use credit cards for dispute leverage.