All

I have a ticket on #26 this weekend PHL-CDG. Its been at Y2 for a few weeks and in the past week or so went Y0 (meaning it was likely overbooked for a while since theyre always willing to sell a few more Y seats). Its been half open in Envoy for a few weeks. Went down to about 13 open at the 7-day window.

Suddenly at the 3-day window, the entire flight is all zeroes in inventory (of course then you cant check seats left). Curious, I looked at the other PHL-Europe flights and they all look to be zeroed out now in Envoy also.

I find it hard to believe that they sold so many business tickets so quickly.

Is this a common practice to artificially zero out capacity when the flights are overbooked in coach? Not grumbling about upgrade - just really surprised to see things move so quickly.

It's not Envoy sales that did it but coach. These flights are probably oversold in coach so they know they'll be using the E-cabin for upflow. Makes sense right?

Don't worry though. Something tells me that if you call the US CP desk and call out the #'s on your AMEX Centurion card, they'll book you a full-C class ticket. ;)

Thanks Geo

(Note I Lost CP, and am earning it back now. Forgot to edit profile).

Regardless thanks - thats what I was assuming - I had just checked yesterday and there were 11 or 12 open in Envoy. Going today and seeing all 0s was a bit of a shock.

Question remains - is this standard practice?

Question remains - is this standard practice?

I've seen it happen a few times when coach is oversold. The stateside agents are usually smart enough to bump those forward with status before any others.

The European agents (absent a few actual US employees at LGW) generally do whatever they want :confused: .

Question remains - is this standard practice?

And what's to say that you won't be one of the ones bumped up... :cool:

^

Yeah, I might get lucky. Hope so.

Still kinda surprised they would turn off inventory from selling seats that actually make money as opposed to tweak the system to not oversell coach so much. If they cant bump, thats like $1000 in compensation to pay out.

I'm going thru PHL to CDG on Saturday to have Sat stay and keep trip cost down. Would be happy to volunteer to wait until Sunday when things are a little lighter on load...

Update: Inventory still zeroed out.

In fact, a friend on the same flight just called to upgrade and was told they couldnt queue him because there was no inventory.

The plot thickens..

Edit: I was checking VirtuallyThere, and it says my PHL-CDG segment is 'unconfirmed' in Envoy. It used to say 'waitlisted' I think. Did they recently change the terminology? I dont remember seeing that before..

Saturday night update:

If youre planning on going to Europe in the next few days, and your upgrade hasnt cleared, IT PROBABLY WONT.

Apparently PHL has been oversold on all the transatlantic flights this week. Not sure how Envoy also got full on all the flights, but I am guessing someone in inventory moved people up to try to help. Anyway, got to PHL today and saw 'Volunteers Needed' on a bunch of the Europe flights. FRA was oversold by 30, Paris by 23, ... None of the flights had Envoy room left to bump people either. So the 'zeroed out' numbers I was seeing the past few days were in fact true.

The agents I talked to said its been snowballing the whole week. I volunteered, took my $600 voucher and asked them to send me back home to PIT. Wil try to go back to PHL tomorrow for try #2. Its oversold and I plan to volunteer again.

At this rate I will buy the airline with vouchers.

This is the week of the Hannover Fair, largest industrial trade show in the world. Lots of US people attend this event and will fly into FRA.

I get the feeling that in place of advertising, and other promotion, they may be actively using those seats to cultivate what they perceive to be potential full fare business down the line. It's an appropriate use of the capacity. Sort of the airline equivalent of taking a car home for the weekend while you consider getting one. The message to us mooches is "ABC". Anybody But Cockroaches. You can see others moving to get paying customers in those chairs. Continental is selling Business First to Europe, normally between 4 and 6 grand, for under 2....in the Summer, no less. To the carrrier, that's a lot prettier than an upgraded six or eight hundred dollar ticket.

deelmakur

I have NO PROBLEM with them using inventory to woo customers. I hope it turns into long-term customers for them!

But it still drives me nuts that within the business framework that they exist, they have no way of letting me stay home and volunteer my seat. The PHL-CDG flight is oversold alot again today. As it stands, it looks like I will fly PIT-PHL again, volunteer at 5pm, and immediately be sent back to PIT with $600. The 'management system' is depending on a bunch of no-shows that dont exist this time of the year. Theyre putting 10 ppl/flight up in hotels every night this week.

It will probably get old tonight, and I doubt I will go back again tomorrow.

hscottm, I hope you made it. What I believe you are seeing is a continuing level of disdain (or lack of interest) in the regular customer who relies on the program for a higher level of comfort without paying a fare that would cover the cost of a home theater. You see it in reduced first class fares, the complete removal of first class onboard services, tighter seating up front, the removal of seats from the 757 fleet, more and more mainline flying being done by single class aircraft...the list goes on. And it permeates to the employee level, where, if you have a coat, they just walk right by you, on long hauls, they disappear, or this recent encounter at the fabulous Terminal A in Philly, where a couple of months ago the Rome flight was slightly delayed, so Envoy passengers were told to remain in the Club until called. When we got to the gate, the flight had started to board, and we were a good 15 minutes from the door. I went over to a sullen faced guy behind the check-in desk, and asked if there was still a pre board opportunity for Envoy. Without even looking up, the guy muttered something about "that portion being over", and I'd better get on, or I "could lose my seat". Star Alliance members should be excited. It won't be long before they get the chance to turn their customers over to the land of plastic utensils and ersatz wine glasses.

I didnt have the energy or motivation to trek to Philly just to get my $600 again. Just decided not to go..

I was on the CLT to FRA flight on Saturday. US was looking for volunteers - oversold. Sat in Envoy next to a soldier getting deployed to FRA for 2 years. Pretty sure the army didn't pay C or was he a FF.