Spring Break: The Season of IDBs
#31
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sparks, NV
Programs: NWA Plat, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond AA ExpPl
Posts: 183
Good weekend for me last weekend. $1600.00 in VDB. Got to love it!
#32
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 198
Hoping for some bump
The agent was happy to do travel credits in lieu of the DBCFREE ticket, and he gave me $600(!) for the overnight bump. ...
The next day the 767 SFO-IAD was swapped to a 757 (another thread on that), producing another VDB for $300 in travel credits. In the end I got to BWI 23 hours late, with $900 in travel credits, 3600 extra EQMs, and a chance to have dinner and lunch with my friend in SFO. Not bad, if you ask me.
The next day the 767 SFO-IAD was swapped to a 757 (another thread on that), producing another VDB for $300 in travel credits. In the end I got to BWI 23 hours late, with $900 in travel credits, 3600 extra EQMs, and a chance to have dinner and lunch with my friend in SFO. Not bad, if you ask me.
#33
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,013
I don't know the profile code. I just said, "Can you do travel credits?" For domestic flights, my understanding is that it's supposed to be a flat $200 in travel credits in lieu of the free ticket. (My experieince, of course, contradicts this.) Internationally, the $$ does go up depending on the time.
This thread has a lot of info (some new, some old) on VDB compensataion.
This thread has a lot of info (some new, some old) on VDB compensataion.
#34
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN or SLC (mostly)
Programs: SW A-List Preferred, DL Gold, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 220
Both of my flights this weekend, LAS-DEN 3/20 and DEN-LAS 3/23 are sold out. Hopefully there will be some nice bumpage to report.
#35
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boulder, CO
Programs: UA, AA, WN; HH, MR, IHG
Posts: 7,054
Last edited by cepheid; Mar 19, 2008 at 6:31 pm Reason: Fixed link
#36
Join Date: May 2007
Location: IAD
Programs: UA/MAR
Posts: 724
VDB is always a bit of an auction. It's up to the GA to offer whatever will get people off the plane, though I've never heard of more than $600 in any situation. It is supposed to depend on how badly you are delayed, and if they have more volunteers than they need, they will often take those who are easy to rebook with minimal delays over those who have complex itins and will require an overnight.
If the GA has enough volunteers that will take DBCFREE tickets, then that is the path of least resistance for them and they will often turn down folks insisting on vouchers.
I've gotten everything from DBCFREE with a reroute on another airline, where the new non-stop actually beat my UA itin home (due to connections on UA) to $500+SWU for taking a bump on an international nonstop that involved adding a connection and about a 6 hour delay.
This is one area where the GAs do have a lot of leeway and where "the speech" can work for you.
If the GA has enough volunteers that will take DBCFREE tickets, then that is the path of least resistance for them and they will often turn down folks insisting on vouchers.
I've gotten everything from DBCFREE with a reroute on another airline, where the new non-stop actually beat my UA itin home (due to connections on UA) to $500+SWU for taking a bump on an international nonstop that involved adding a connection and about a 6 hour delay.
This is one area where the GAs do have a lot of leeway and where "the speech" can work for you.
#37
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,013
Thanks for the link to the promo. The link gotta a little garbled.
Correct link is http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/S%2AUAL/DENIED-VDB
Correct link is http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/S%2AUAL/DENIED-VDB
#38
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: UA-1K, AA-Gold, H GP-LIfeTime Diamond
Posts: 802
Are you still getting VDB from your Spring Break trip?
End of Spring Break used to be golden for our family and one could count on GAs asking for VDBs on Sunday afternoon flights from various gates. It seems CO's yield management system is doing a better job than the old UA and flights are put on "do not oversell" list. (Tried to stand by for an earlier CO flight last year as 1K and GA used this term.)
We strike out this year, "flight booked to capacity". Hope your golden VDB route(s) are stilll bringing you much $uce$$!
We strike out this year, "flight booked to capacity". Hope your golden VDB route(s) are stilll bringing you much $uce$$!
#39
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The World.
Programs: UA MP/UC - "RIP Tulip Plat"
Posts: 1,225
Have seen this more times I can count! Expect this to happen a lot more with the domestic capacity reduction.
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,903
My flight on Friday is zeroed out, but I have to doubt I'll get a bump. First is only booked 10/24 though proactively zeroed. Hopefully I'll get the upgrade and it won't go to some $69 bidder. Better yet, a bump would be great.