A: Lufthansa should have transported you from Denver to Johannesburg when it said it would, not when it could. Alas, that's not the way the system works. Lufthansa's general conditions of carriage, the legal agreement between you and the airline, specifically says that its schedules are just a suggestion: “The flight times shown in timetables may change between the date of publication and the date you actually travel. We do not guarantee them to you and they do not form part of your contract with us.”

I shouldn't pick on Lufthansa; every airline has the same or similar wording in its contract. When a flight is canceled, the industry's standard practice is that you have the option of being rebooked on the next available flight or a refund.

The $200 ticket fee should have been immediately refunded. You paid for an economy-class seat with a humane amount of legroom, roughly what the old coach seats used to have, give or take an inch.

Lots of wires got crossed here. Your travel agent learned that Lufthansa had rebooked you on a flight to Johannesburg, which would have transported you to South Africa a day late, even as you were leaving on your replacement flight. Clearly, there was a lot of confusion.

I can understand why your agent didn't push for a refund then. Her main concern — rightfully so — was that Lufthansa would consider you a “no show” for your outbound flight, which would have made it cancel your return portion. Then you would have been stuck in South Africa.

The solution is obvious: A refund of the $200 plus half the airfare. You might have contacted a customer service manager at Lufthansa for that: www.elliott.org/company-contacts/lufthansa-airlines/. But it looks like you already had started a letter-writing campaign. It's time to call for help.

I contacted the airline on your behalf. It refunded both the upgrade fee and half of your ticket, as requested.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and a co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Read more tips at elliott.org or email chris@elliott.org.