US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - oversold......would you help US now?

Tonight, the PHL-PIT flight was oversold by 22 and the gate agents were scrambling to get enough volunteers to give up their seats to accomodate US.

They were giving a free R/T ticket anywhere in the US domestic system good for 1 year, yada yada yada.

My question to all of you is.......would you give up your seat to help US out of this dilemma??? With the new restrictions, $100 change fee, etc....is it worth your time to help out US anymore?? I know I won't.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by trvlr64:
...is it worth your time to help out US anymore?? I know I won't.</font>

On almost every flight on every airline, there will people passengers willing to give up their seat in exchange for a free ticket or voucher. This is particularly true at places like MCO (and TPA to a lesser extent), where people sit at the gate for 4-6 hours in order to increase their chances of a bump.

I'd hardly call "volunteering" helping US Airways out -- on most flights somebody will almost always volunteer for their own greed. It's so rare that they don't that it doesn't hurt US. Remember: airlines are only punished for excessive involuntarily bumpings.

[This message has been edited by IndustrialPatent (edited 11-08-2002).]

IP -- that's NOT true. there are flights where seats are desperately needed, and its always better to have a volunteer than force someone off a flight when they really want to go. this is particularly true on certain international sectors.

in any case, the answer to the question is NO.

I edited my post for clarification. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I would "volunteer" but I would break their Balls and insist on 4 "Stanby Vouchers" or a $400 voucher. I would do this especially if they needed 22 volunteers. Paybacks are a b*tch.

My flight on Thanksgiving day from PHL to MCO is oversold by 33 people... What should I do to hurt them the most? There are 3 of us going down on that flight...

The first three flights that morning are all oversold completely... If I go LATER in the day I want big bucks and F/C...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I have never volunteered because either I have to get there or if returning home, do not want a voucher for a free ticket that is not upgradable and capacity controlled. If they offered a FC ticket I may think about it on a return.

On AA on a business flight, the agent came on the plane offered $400 right off the bat to get one person on the flight to DCA. No one moved it until a few moments later after the agent asked again and someone said OK. I had an 8 AM meeting and could not take it.

My thoughts would be that it may be good to take the bump, because I fear with use it or lose it, they will have to over-sell flights less. Do people think that as a result of use it or lose it, that the number of flights needing volunteers will remain constant, decrease, or increase? Also I wonder how much of the over-bookings are in Y, etc., as opposed to the lower fare booking codes?

As a Very Frequent Flier "free tickets" have no appeal whatsoever. You'd think though that they'd want to encourage me to be available for these situations -- I can probably deal with it a lot better than Mr & Mrs Neverfly... and if taking a bump works with my plans I'd do it quite happily. Just not for a "free ticket."

And given the degree of customer hostility that management is showing these days there's little if any chance that I'm going to feel sorry for them.

I did once give up my seat so that a Dad could get on the plane sit next to his son -- nobody was moving and I just happened to have the seat in question. But that was sympathy for the passengers involved not the airline.

In spite of my asking about a $$$ voucher the gate agent would only do the RT ticket. Which was, as usual, incredibly stupid because I eventually used it to fly my mother home -- a trip that I would generally pay about $300 for. If they had given me a $200 voucher they would have netted $100 from the deal.

If you could separate out the drop in demand from the impact of "use it or lose it" and "no free standby" then it is my opinion that they have done nothing but increase the rate of oversold flights and involuntary bumps. All of these moves reduce flexibility in the system. That makes no sense -- now it is more brittle and it will cost more whenever "irregular" situations arise. Attempts to "perfect" throughput in this way depend utterly on predictability and smooth operations. Apparently they have forgotten that airlines have to deal with weather and customers -- two notoriously unpredictable elements.

The way things are now on US, Not only would I NOT accept a free R/T ticket, but if they needed a large number (e.g. 22) I would 'announce' to others in the area that we should be receiving vouchers - by announce, I mean saying it loud enough at the desk with other people around - that I wanted the voucher and that I knew it was in their power to give it since I have received one before. I would also tell them I would ONLY switch for a voucher that I could use ASAP since I dont trust them to be in business 6 months from now when I might need a free R/T for vacation.

While I'd much prefer a dollar-figure voucher, I have no problems taking the bump ticket. While you don't earn miles on a freebie, and can't sit up front, those tickets come in handy. And I've never taken a bump where I haven't been guaranteed an FC seat in advance on the next flight, or one a few hours later. I've found that if you're not obnoxious, agents are more than willing to block a seat, or tell you that it won't be possible for X number of hours.

The vouchers are great bargains on the midweek shuttle--or for using to buy a trip for a friend. I've even used one for a last minute emergency flight with no Saturday stay....saving more than 1100 dollars.

I took a bump in pit two weeks ago and was given a room at the hyatt for the o'nite stay. Gave the hyatt my gp number and that stay was the final one I needed for a diamond upgrade. The early morning flight got me back into the office only a few minutes later than usual.

I'd not take the free ticket. I've had so many hassles with the free tickets in the past from US, NWA and UA that they just don't have value to me. It's $ vouchers or my butt in a seat and I don't hestitate to let them know that either.

bfunkjeep, how do you know your thanksgiving flight is oversold by 33?

I won't take a bump out of general principal after the standby rule changes.


You won't do for me......


and so forth....

------------------
Saving the world, one clue at a time.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pitsheel:
bfunkjeep, how do you know your thanksgiving flight is oversold by 33?</font>

I called and they told me... they also gave me #s for flights before and after. They're all oversold too. I think I'll be "in the money" on this deal...