Last night I booked a ticket approximately an hour and a half before the flight on usairways.com. I'll leave out the actual destination to protect the innocent but it was a US flight operated by America West Express with a CRJ-200. When I got to the airport and used the check-in machine by security, it was about 35 minutes prior to the flight and there was no line at security.

The machine found my reservation and gave me a message that said something along the lines of, "There are no seats to assign on this flight. Please see an agent for assistance with checking in." My companion was also checking in, and her error message was something about the machine not being able to find her reservation despite using multiple ID methods.

We went downstairs to the check-in counter, where there was one agent working. I let my companion go first, since it was imperative that she made the flight. My own trip was purely discretionary, so I didn't want to cause her to miss her flight by asking the agent to deal with my itinerary as well. The agent said that she couldn't check her in because it was now 27 minutes prior to flight. I mentioned the lack of a line at security, and the agent let out a big sigh and called the gate to ask if my companion could be checked in. The agent got a negative answer and relayed this to us and said there was nothing else she could do, and would put my companion on the next morning's flight.

I told the agent that this was unacceptable, because we had tried checking in 35 minutes prior but the system wouldn't recognize her reservation. I also mentioned that we had tried doing online check-in earlier that day and had also received error messages. The agent decided to get a supervisor (fortunately) because she was not going to budge. The supervisor mentioned that my companion could not fly on the original flight because it was oversold and there was no seat to assign. After about 15 minutes, the supervisor was able to get her a seat connecting through LAS. At this point, it was just under 20 minutes prior to departure of the LAS flight. Figuring it would take another 10 minutes at least to get me a seat, I ran with my companion to see her off at security, resigned to not getting on that flight because of the oversell and not enough time to be reaccommodated on the LAS flight.

When I tried, just for fun, to use the machines upstairs again, I got the "less than 30 minutes prior to flight" message, so I knew that I had definitely checked in with enough time earlier. I went downstairs and was helped by a different agent, so said it was too late for the original flight and I should have said something. I explained my desire to make sure my companion made the flight by not complicating matters with my own reservation, and that the machine had said there were no seats followed with the agent's mentioning the oversell. After about 15 minutes, this agent was able to produce an "AirCares" certificate for $25 (allowing for a discount up to $100 if I bought a $398+ ticket).

Was this the right compensation for what was essentially an IDB, since I could not board the aircraft? I know for sure it was too oversold to accommodate any pax, since the supervisor mentioned that my companion could not take it due to the oversell. Should I call customer service and push for something more?

Ultimately, it would have been nice to join my companion at the destination, but that wasn't able to happen, so at this point I just want to make sure that I wasn't screwed by US. Suggestions?

Edited to add: If it makes any difference, I was on a full-fare refundable ticket.

Nobody thinks $25 is a bit puny?

I believe it is.
How long was arrival inconvenienced? You should file a complaint with the DOT about lack of adequate IDB compensation.

I believe it is.
How long was arrival inconvenienced? You should file a complaint with the DOT about lack of adequate IDB compensation.

I never left. I didn't take the flight in the end because they didn't accommodate me due to helping out the other person.

You need to always check in and get your boarding pass on line. Then you can play the dash to the airport game and hope security is quick, but if you have no seat assignment or have not yet checked in then you should allow at least an hour.

On them calling the gate, I have had that happen before at some time in the process (20-30 minutes) the ticket counter loose controll and only the gate can check you in or assigned seats. One time I bought a full fare refunable ticket to get past security then went to the gate to try and catch the flight that the ticket agent wouldn't let me on, worked like a charm and then called reservations and cancled my other ticket.

You need to always check in and get your boarding pass on line. Then you can play the dash to the airport game and hope security is quick, but if you have no seat assignment or have not yet checked in then you should allow at least an hour.

This is true. That notwithstanding, do you think I was unfairly denied boarding due to the overbook situation, and if so, was the $25 AirCares cert too little?

My personal opinion is that the AirCheckPlus (or whatever they call them now) was fair.

It doesn't sound like you really cared one way or the other whether you got on the plane, and since it was a fully-refundable ticket, you're out nothing more than the time it took to drive to the airport and back.

If you had gone back to the counter and been re-routed and actually flown to your ticketed destination, then yes, I think you would be entitled to something more.

The key is that the supervisor agreed that you arrived at the airport early enough (and hence re-routed your friend so they could fly). At that point, assuming you flew to your destination via re-route, you would be entitled to IDB since you attempted to check-in more than 30 minutes prior to departure and were denied a seat on the flight for which you were ticketed. Since you didn't also take the re-route (or even a later one, if you were concerned about your friend missing the flight), they probably don't consider it to be IDB/VDB, but rather a traveler who for whatever reason chose not to fly.

And the AirCheckPlus isn't all that bad - it's basically 25% off any ticket.

Again, just my opinion - you are always free to write a letter or send an email (and I wish you luck if you do). Sorry for the problems with the flight and I hope you can enjoy the AirCheckPlus.

The HP COC is very clear regarding IDB compensation:
2) AMOUNT OF COMPENSATION
HP WILL PAY COMPENSATION FOR INVOLUNTARY DENIED
BOARDING:
A) ON HP ONLY, IN THE AMOUNT OF 200% OF THE SUM
OF THE VALUES OF THE PASSENGER'S REMAINING
FLIGHT COUPONS OR APPROPRIATE FARE OF THE
TICKET TO THE PASSENGER'S NEXT STOPOVER, OR IF
NONE, TO HIS/HER DESTINATION, BUT NOT MORE
THAN USD 400.00. HOWEVER, THE COMPENSATION
SHALL BE ONE HALF OF THE AMOUNT DESCRIBED
ABOVE, BUT NOT MORE THAN USD 200.00, IF HP
ARRANGES FOR COMPARABLE AIR TRANSPORTATION, OR
FOR OTHER TRANSPORTATION ACCEPTABLE TO THE
PASSENGER, SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE NOT LATER THAN
TWO (2) HOURS AFTER THE PLANNED ARRIVAL, AT
THE AIRPORT OF THE PASSENGER'S NEXT STOPOVER,
OR AT THE AIRPORT OF THE PASSENGER'S
DESTINATION OF THE FLIGHT ON WHICH THE
PASSENGER HOLDS A CONFIRMED RESERVATION, OR
B) BY PROVIDING FREE AIR TRANSPORTATION IN LIEU
OF THE MONETARY COMPENSATION STATED ABOVE.
3) WAIVER OF PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION
NO DENIED BOARDING COMPENSATION PAYMENT WILL BE
MADE IF:
A) THE DENIED BOARDING IS A RESULT OF A
SUBSTITUTION OF EQUIPMENT OF LESSER CAPACITY
WHEN REQUIRED BY OPERATIONAL OR SAFETY
REASONS,
B) THE PASSENGER IS ACCOMMODATED ON A FLIGHT
SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE WITHIN ONE (1) HOUR OF THE
ORIGINAL ARRIVAL TIME.
So if they had a flight for you with an arrival time within an hour, you weren't due anything. Otherwise, you were due either $200 or $400 or a travel voucher. I don't see anything in the COC that says you have to actually fly the trip after an IDB. Therefore, you're probably entitled to regular IDB compensation.

That said, showing up at the kiosk 35 minutes prior to a flight you're not checked in for is a bad idea, if you actually want to take the flight. If there's a line and you don't get to the kiosk 30 minutes prior, you're not due any compensation.

I wonder if your first checkin attempt left a timestamp on your pnr? If not, they'll see the time stamp from the agent, and you're not going to get anything more.

As far as the DOT goes, their IDB rules only apply to flights with more than 60 passengers.