mikehillwig

I'm flying CDG-BOS next week. It's an AF flight ticked by DL on 006 stock.

The flight is showing very full. Almost ten days out, there are about six seats left on the whole flight.

What is the right way to volunteer my seat? While I'm happy to fly CDG-xxx-BOS, I'd love to trade my seat for a voucher.

I'd like to get home the day of travel, but since I'm on a late departure out of CDG, that's probably my last opportunity to do it without spending an additional night in Paris.

What are my options? Or should I just keep the seat I have and wait for them to ask for volunteers?

Often1

If your 6 seats come from the seat map, means absolutely nothing. If it's from a reliable database, it means the flight is not even close to overbooked.

I wouldn't plan on oversold at the gate.

sbjnyc

I'd go to the gate early and ask if they are looking for volunteers. I don't think you can get a voucher for VDB from anywhere else. A month or so ago I offered to VDB on an AF CDG-JFK flight and was told they'd offer a €300 voucher. I don't know if it was negotiable as I was not needed. I may have gotten the chance had I gotten to the gate sooner.

MSPeconomist

Sometimes European carriers like KLM will offer an X voucher on their airline or Y in cash, where Y < X, for VDB. If you volunteer, the voucher will be from AF and will need ot be used on flights that can be booked from their website, presumably including DL codeshares but perhaps not all DL flights or not certain flights booked under a DL flight number. Check the rules.

cfischer

some flights are very full indeed. I am surprised my CDG-BOS flight on 11/26 is Y0J0P0 as well. Oh well, we'll see. CDG is often seeing a lot of misconnects, I would not get my hope up.

mikehillwig

I'm flying CDG-BOS on 11/27, and I got the inventory from EF, not the seat map. It's showing 4F and 6Y. And this flight is nine days out.

davetravels

I got AF vouchers both last Aug on CDG/DTW and this Aug on CDG/JFK. I always inquire about it at check-in, and they have processed me there. This Aug, they told me they were over by at least 10 more pax, so there was NO problem handling it at the check-in counter. They told me that IDB would be somewhere around double that, for a point of info, but they also told me, that if I went to the gate, they'd never IDB a STE+ member.

Last year they offered me a 500€ voucher, then they told me that the agent made a mistake, and 300€ was the MAX they could offer. I WAS LIVID!! Absolutely NO budging on the 300€! Also, both times I was offered 150€ cash as an option. After what I had gone thru trying to use last year's voucher - this year, I swore I'd always take the cashola, but, I didn't!

krpjr

11/26 is indeed packed....I was trying to get my sister on CDG-BOS 11/26...instead she is flying into IAD from CDG.

sbjnyc

Perhaps it depends on which airport you check in at. When I inquired at the AF ticket counter at JFK I was told they'd process a flight change for me free but no voucher. The CDG-JFK flight I referred to began at DUB where the agents do not work for AF/KLM and he said I had to wait until I got to CDG.

davetravels

Are you saying that you expected the staff at DUB to process a VDB for you for a flight leaving out of CDG??? That'll never happen!

As to the JFK counter - - - I don't understand, exactly. The flight out of JFK was overbooked, and they were willing to put you on a different flight - - but NOT give you any compensation??? I don't get it?

sbjnyc

Right but that was where I checked in. I couldn't speak to a check in agent at CDG. If OP is connecting in CDG s/he'd have the same problem. I figured I'd ask anyway.

Right, at the ticket desk. At the gate it would be different. I actually took the reroute to a direct flight (DL metal) as there were weather issues and it turned out the AF flight was delayed over 4+ hours. Of course my boarding pass got royally screwed up.

davetravels

OK, so, I guess at JFK, you were technically rerouted due to weather issues, not overbooking - - that's why no comp.

As to asking for VDB at, say, CDG or AMS, if you have arrived from a connecting flight - - It's not written in stone, but, my experience is, that AF & KL are VERY reluctant to allow someone to VDB if they have already checked bags.

sbjnyc

No I was specifically told the only reason they were rerouting me was due to overbooking. The flight was not delayed at the time. The flights were about 2 hours apart so I really didn't have time to go through security get to the gate and then run to T2 go through security to make the direct flight if I wanted it. Cost me some MQMs but saved me a lot of time and aggravation in the long run though I can't say I knew that at the time.

I did have a checked bag but wasn't asked about it. Could be they saw it in my record.

davetravels

Ok, so they bumped you off an overbooked flight with out any comp. How much later did you get to your destination than your original flights? I don't know the amounts, but, there's a scale as to how much they hafto give you, the later you are. I think it's even possible that if it's - something like - less than an hour, they don't hafto give you anything! I'm sure someone else will chime in with the details.

Wait a minute - I re-read your post . . .

They rerouted you to a "direct" flight - (I assume you mean "nonstop", which is different) - so, you got in earlier than originally planned? If so, they don't have to give you ANY comp! - - Often times, they will, but they don't have to.

sbjnyc

Yes nonstop, sorry. I've received VDB comps while being rerouted from a connecting flight to a nonstop, but I've never gotten VDB on an international itinerary. I don't know if the rules are different in that regard.