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Was not allowed to volunteer for a Y bump when upgraded to F

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Was not allowed to volunteer for a Y bump when upgraded to F

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Old May 30, 2012, 5:55 am
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by channa
Well, they're printing the VDB cards now (they used to use pre-printed forms not too long ago, or had the option of using the yellow form).

Data point from IAH. PC rep would not add me to the list -- said talk to the gate. I asked if the list was in the computer, she said no. I said I thought it was in the computer and any agent or station could add you. She said she'd been with CO for 26 years and there has never been, and there isn't a VDB list in the computer.

Get to the gate, and they solicit. I'm in F, and the legacy CO agent has trouble getting my card to print out. He takes my BP and writes VOL on it, and asks the other CO agent to print my card. She, too, has trouble with it. Meanwhile others in Y are volunteering, and their cards spit out no problem. Redcoat offers to take care of it, and she tinkers with it for 2-3 minutes and gets a card to print out. Clearly my being in F complicated it.

This is that super secret magic way of getting someone on the list if they're in F that not everybody knows about. Mind you this was in IAH with 100% CO agents based on their name tags and uniforms, so they should know the system.
This is clearly what I was expecting to hear from somebody out there. United needs to get it together at the spokes. Thanks for restoring my faith in United. Now, if somebody will officially let us know from United what the correct procedure is..........
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Old May 30, 2012, 7:00 am
  #62  
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Originally Posted by fsfsfsfs
Did you by any chance ask the redcoat how she did this? If there's a keyword or something that the rest of us could invoke in the future, that would be helpful.

It was way too chaotic to ask questions -- they were looking a potentially IDBing several, including non-English speakers going onward to Asia.

Hopefully one of our GA FTers will be able to tell us (or if they don't know, find that elusive redocoat in IAH who knows how to do it and ask them).
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Old Oct 7, 2012, 4:32 pm
  #63  
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Originally Posted by bmvaughn
More "the new system no longer allows it" - twice this weekend I had opportunities to take a VDB, both times the agents told me they needed someone seated in Y rather than F because Y was oversold and not F. In the past this was no problem, but post-3/3, as I confirmed with these two GAs and a third at the customer service center, the new system only allows volunteers from the cabin in which one is seated but not if one is ticketed and later upgraded out of Y.

As a 1K, there go my bump chances...

Usual caveats - sample size of 3 does not make a fact - hopefully one of our resident GAs will be by to fill us in on the full story.
I took a VDB BOS-IAD on Saturday and I was in upgraded F and not once was it mentioned that I could not be "taken"
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Old Oct 7, 2012, 5:19 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by goalie
Originally Posted by bmvaughn
More "the new system no longer allows it" - twice this weekend I had opportunities to take a VDB, both times the agents told me they needed someone seated in Y rather than F because Y was oversold and not F. In the past this was no problem, but post-3/3, as I confirmed with these two GAs and a third at the customer service center, the new system only allows volunteers from the cabin in which one is seated but not if one is ticketed and later upgraded out of Y.

As a 1K, there go my bump chances...

Usual caveats - sample size of 3 does not make a fact - hopefully one of our resident GAs will be by to fill us in on the full story.
I took a VDB BOS-IAD on Saturday and I was in upgraded F and not once was it mentioned that I could not be "taken"
Do you know which workaround method was used?
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Old Oct 7, 2012, 7:53 pm
  #65  
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Originally Posted by channa
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Originally Posted by goalie
Originally Posted by bmvaughn
More "the new system no longer allows it" - twice this weekend I had opportunities to take a VDB, both times the agents told me they needed someone seated in Y rather than F because Y was oversold and not F. In the past this was no problem, but post-3/3, as I confirmed with these two GAs and a third at the customer service center, the new system only allows volunteers from the cabin in which one is seated but not if one is ticketed and later upgraded out of Y.

As a 1K, there go my bump chances...

Usual caveats - sample size of 3 does not make a fact - hopefully one of our resident GAs will be by to fill us in on the full story.
I took a VDB BOS-IAD on Saturday and I was in upgraded F and not once was it mentioned that I could not be "taken"
Do you know which workaround method was used?
Not sure what you mean. All I did was stop at the Service Desk after I got off my inbound flight and asked if my next flight was oversold. The agent said yes so I asked if I could be placed on the list for volunteers. She asked for my BP and it was done in less than 30 seconds. At the gate, I asked if the flight was still over and I was told yes. I asked if I was on the list and was told yes. Then when it came time to process me, all I remember hearing was "are we good as I'm going to offload him" from the agent handling my VDB followed by "yup, VDB him" from the other gate agent
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Old Oct 7, 2012, 8:46 pm
  #66  
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I have a data point to add.

I was in F and asked to be added to the VDB list at the UC. Y was oversold. The agent had to call to get instructions and commented that she couldn't put me on the list because Y was oversold, not F, but she knew there is a way to do it. She called the help desk, received the instructions, and put me on the list. There were many misconnects so I never got the bump that flight.
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Old Oct 7, 2012, 11:04 pm
  #67  
 
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The short explanation I've heard from gate agents is they need to change the flight from soliciting X volunteers in Y to X-1 in Y/1 in F and then take you.

I've never been turned down while in J/F and the gate needs volunteers, but I've had difficulty getting added to the list before getting to the gate.
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Old Oct 14, 2012, 5:11 pm
  #68  
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[QUOTE=goalie;19454159]
Originally Posted by bmvaughn
More "the new system no longer allows it" - twice this weekend I had opportunities to take a VDB, both times the agents told me they needed someone seated in Y rather than F because Y was oversold and not F. In the past this was no problem, but post-3/3, as I confirmed with these two GAs and a third at the customer service center, the new system only allows volunteers from the cabin in which one is seated but not if one is ticketed and later upgraded out of Y.

As a 1K, there go my bump chances...

Usual caveats - sample size of 3 does not make a fact - hopefully one of our resident GAs will be by to fill us in on the full story.I took a VDB BOS-IAD on Saturday and I was in upgraded F and not once was it mentioned that I could not be "taken"
Took another VDB from F-this time SFO-LAX with my onward flight LAX-BOS on the redeye to the SFO-BOS redeye non-stop and missed another bump from F by minutes BOS-IAD as I was all set to go along with another pax but even tho the two "missing pax" had checked in, they were nowhere to be found so after holding the flight for 5 minutes, the buttoned is up and we departed
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Old Oct 21, 2012, 7:15 pm
  #69  
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Originally Posted by FlyerChrisK
The short explanation I've heard from gate agents is they need to change the flight from soliciting X volunteers in Y to X-1 in Y/1 in F and then take you.

I've never been turned down while in J/F and the gate needs volunteers, but I've had difficulty getting added to the list before getting to the gate.
I can confirm that this is what is needed to VDB someone from F if Y is oversold as I took another bump from F today PHX-LAX and then on to SFO on the PHX-SFO non-stop 2 hours later as that's what the agent did with my (and apologies, but try as I might, I couldn't get the steps he was using )
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Old Oct 29, 2012, 1:18 pm
  #70  
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If they need a seat, they WILL take you regardless of where you're seated

10/26: SFO-LAX: Upgraded to F and took a $200 bump for a 55 minute sit and F on the next flight SFO-LAX. I asked the g/a if there "were any truth to the rumors" that one can't be bumped from F is Y is oversold and he very simply said, "it doesn't matter where you're sitting as we need to get the flight out so if we need your seat, we'll make it worth your while"
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Old Oct 29, 2012, 1:33 pm
  #71  
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I had no problems getting a bump from my DEN-SEA which had been confirmed in F through a y-Up. It did take an hour~ to process the VDB, but the agent never mentioned any problems with me being in F.
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Old Oct 29, 2012, 1:41 pm
  #72  
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I sense this only occurred shortly after 3/3 when PMUA staff were unfamiliar with the command in SHARES. I've not since had the same issue across multiple bumps.
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Old Oct 29, 2012, 2:49 pm
  #73  
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I had an almost similar experience in PDX on Saturday night. They ended up not needing me but I did hear the agent grumbling under her breath about the fact that I was already upgraded and trying to make that work with the VDB. They can definitely do it but there is something in the system which makes it a bit more work than for coach customers.
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Old Oct 29, 2012, 3:33 pm
  #74  
 
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Originally Posted by bmvaughn
I sense this only occurred shortly after 3/3 when PMUA staff were unfamiliar with the command in SHARES. I've not since had the same issue across multiple bumps.
My last bump was in August out of IAD.
Had been upgraded to F.
Took a long time with agent making two phone calls for help.

YMMV
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