US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - CP Denied Voluntary Bumps?

I recently attempted to do a voluntary bump from DCA - PIT. When I checked in for the flight, I was #1 on the list; when I checked an hour later at the USAirways Club, I was #1 on the list. When they asked for more volunteers, I didn't worry as I was #1 on the list.

When they asked me to board, the G/A told me that I was #18 on the list. Irritated, I wrote to USAirways Consumer Affairs with my tale and was told:

"Please keep in mind the selection of any denied boardings is not based on the time you have requested to become a volunteer. Unlike a standby list, it is also not based on your Preferred tier level status with
us. The selection of volunteers is based in a manner determined solely by USAirways based on a variety of factors."

On the web site, it also says "The request for, and selection of, volunteers will be in a manner determined solely by US Airways. Selection of volunteers is based on a variety of factors. Volunteers may not be selected in the order received, and some may not be selected."

I'm wondering if other CPs have had this problem of late - so far this year, I took two bumps and really appreciated them.

Had you gotten your upgrade by that time? If so, the seat you would have given up would have been in the wrong cabin. Lately, many flights don't fill in F, which suggests the back is full of junk traffic. If you were already in F, and they had no more elites on the standby list, getting your seat back would have required additonal decisions regarding who got moved to the front cabin. Just a thought.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by deelmakur:
Had you gotten your upgrade by that time? If so, the seat you would have given up would have been in the wrong cabin. Lately, many flights don't fill in F, which suggests the back is full of junk traffic. If you were already in F, and they had no more elites on the standby list, getting your seat back would have required additonal decisions regarding who got moved to the front cabin. Just a thought.</font>

I have given up my first class seat twice this year for a bump voucher. They will put coach pax in F before bumping anyone. They gave my seat to the first passenger without a seat. She was thrilled to get a first class seat!

I bumped on the way to MCO in April. It could have been that they were under a lot of various pressures such as trying to get a group of people to sit together at the same time as being overbooked and it was easier to bump someone else.

As Consumer Affairs told you (and most other airlines operate in the same manner), who gets bumped is at the discretion of US Airways and is usually based on factors other than status or even when you were put on the list. Whether or not you live in the city (and will not require hotel accomodations), ease of reaccomadtion, and party size are just a few of the factors that are sometimes considered.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by deelmakur:
Had you gotten your upgrade by that time? If so, the seat you would have given up would have been in the wrong cabin. Lately, many flights don't fill in F, which suggests the back is full of junk traffic. If you were already in F, and they had no more elites on the standby list, getting your seat back would have required additonal decisions regarding who got moved to the front cabin. Just a thought.</font>

You are absolutely correct. I was basically told that as long as they have an elite on the wait list they will let you have the "Bump Ticket/voucher". When they don't it's just to much hassle for them for the reasons stated above. I have been most successful in getting the ticket/voucher on oversold RJ flights. Like Consumer Affairs said, it's their ball and ball field and if we don't like it we can take our bat and glove and go home.

I took the 9:55AM LAX-PHL flight this morning. About 5 minutes before they began boarding, they made an announcement that the flight was overbooked, and if anybody was interested in volunteering to give up their seat, they could offer "a free ticket, as well as a seat in first class on the 4:10PM flight." I arrived at the gate about 20 minutes before boarding started, so I'm not sure if there was an earlier call for volunteers where they offered only the free ticket.

This was the first time I had ever heard an announcement offering a bump seat on a later flight in first. Is this common practice? Does this mean the 9:55AM bumps would be given a seat in first ahead of the preferred customers confirmed for the 4:10 flight, but still on the waiting list for first?

It's very common. And that seat they give the volunteer means one less for an elite standby on the later flight. There is no respect for that inventory any more, and by extension, none for anyone using an upgrade from a cheap ticket. That's a major reason why 16 F seats are coming out of the 757's, as inventory disappears faster than a bag in Philly.

That's a brilliant move, US: Give away the F seat to the $150 Priceliner in the middle seat(no offense to any Priceliners who may be reading this) who's never flown on US before - and probably never will again - except to cash in the free ticket (s)he probably would have accepted as total compensation for a bump to an aisle seat in Y. In the meantime, the walk-up CP on the later flight is stuck paying $1,800 for a middle seat in Y. You've just ticked off your best customer, and what have you gained?

If they were offering a First Class seat, my inclination would be to think that was all they had for the later flight anyway. I've seen an awful lot of not full FC cabins lately to be too worried about that. I was on a flight last week BWI-CLT, 7:35 PM departure on Wednesday, and there were only 3 empty seats on the entire flight, and one of them was in first. On another flight last week, MSY-CLT they moved a bunch of folks from coach to first because coach was oversold.

My last bump occured in Philadelphia, on a express flight to BWI of all fun places. There was three of us listed, me and a married couple. Without even asking the married couple if they wanted to split up, I was bumped off with the only condition being me traveling alone! As luck would have it, this was a mileage run in the days of GOM and all the others...I got sent on the DCA flight, rerouted home via PIT an hour later and even was able to use e-upgrades for DCA-PIT.

Maybe you should have taken off the coackroach pin, that will automatically put you back at the bottom of the list. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Never bumped on US but have given up my ticket on AA various times only to have it returned and watch others get bumped. In the end, I think it has to do with the complicated multi-city itineraries or cleared upgrades that would make it too difficult to duplicate under reaccomodating or as one agent whispered to me once, if they bump an elite, they fear a letter of compliant touting status and being bumped off of a flight. I can understand that the last peopel you wish to upset are your elite FF but sometimes we are more happy with a bump than getting home early!

------------------
Going back to the bAAsics
Feed the world for FREE! One click daily- www.thehungersite.com (http://www.thehungersite.com)

I lost out on a bump MHT-CLT on Sunday where four non-elites got picked instead because there were two couples volunteering to bump and the agent needed to accomodate two couples so the seating worked out easier.

I was bummed as they already had me confirmed on a flight through PHL leaving 15 minutes after my original... and I actually wanted the free ticket (not the voucher) to use for a future weekend to see my boyfriend.

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

Wow... I have no clue how I double posted.

I guess I'm fixated on having things in pairs of two a la my post above.

[This message has been edited by techgirl (edited 07-08-2003).]