I'd like to see 1 gate agent who got extra compensation for getting a flight out on time.

Just because UA has a policy that if UA (not a particular GA) achieves a #1 ranking, that there is some tiny bonus, one GA's actions would have little impact on this, and any idiot (not you all, someone who believes that they have much impact on DoT results) who believes that they can somehow change the DOT ranking in a meaningful enough way to make any sort of impact on their income is sorely mistaken.

I don't take delays because my job is to not do it, not out of some misguided notion that I will make more $$ if I don't.

Where do people come up with these theories that zone and gate agents get payola for their actions? The jobs are salaried and hourly paid. Any bonus that may ever trickle down to the front line is either miniscule in compensation, miniscule in correlation between ones action and the end result, or both. As a rule of thumb, we do what we do because WHQ has either directly, or thru our local management teams, expressed to us that it is their expectation of us in our job duties. Nothing more, nothing less.

For UA to get an "on-time bonus" is more determined by weather in other airline hubs (vs ORD/DEN) than any one agent's, or station's actions.

I offer the free ticket because that is the primary form of compensation for 95% of the flights I work (lower 48,) because that is what management has determined is what they want as "primary" and because with a) leisure travel not down, b) business travel down, I never have a problem with too FEW volunteers. More often than not, on wide open flights, people are begging to be bought off.


And SFOtoBOS,
re:Does the work even if it is a total falsehood. What if you have several booked itineraries that are domestic? I guess the GA won't look that up or know this?

Also, if you get bumped on the last flight out for the day, is it routine to get hotel accommodation for the night? What if you are at your departure city and haven't begun the trip? (I ask b/c I always get dropped off by friends, and would hate to call them up late at night to say "need to pick me up and do this again tomorrow morning". )

Many lies work with some people. Why lie? Either the agent will need you or they will not. If they need youm then they will either give you what you want, or an IDB check. If they don't need you, then they will just pick someone more honest than yourself. As for hotels...same thing...if I can find "local" passengers, why would I spend more of my companies $$ looking for people to give hotels to? Whatever you and the GA agree to, is the end. I have in the past, clearly stated what my "compensation offer" was, had people accept it, then they asked for a hotel. I asked them if I had ever offered that when making the "deal" with them, and they usually say "No, but it never hurts to ask."

Whatever you NEED get it set prior to accepting...if the offer doesn't work for you, don't accept. Leaving your boarding passes as a VDB to one offer, then expecting to change the terms after the flight has left is low class. I have had a few people try to do so over the years. Not that I coerce, but in the end, they all have accepted what they initially agreed to accept, or if they change their mind, they do it prior to pulling the bridge, I put them on, and either take someone else, or take an IDB. The reason the free ticket was invented was to get away from the escalating reverse auction "let's make a deal" game where compensations would go up until someone would walk away with $1000 for a $50 flight. Some agents still offer "2 free tickets" or more than they are allowed because they don't have the spine to IDB. It's all in the COC, people get IDB'd...it stinks, but it is part of the business. Eventually, those that don't follow compensation procedures as outlined by UA, will be audited, if not by their station, by WHQ, and if this is a pattern, they will be dealt with. I don't fear offering $ vouchers...it is part of the package, but I offer them on flights out of the 48, or when I cannot get enough US (mainland) residents to take. You would be surprised at how many European business fliers LOVE the free ticket. The simplicity and ease of use to them makes it an easy sell. Any elite on LH who is in the US, is most likely in the US alot, and has much more vacation time than their US counterpart. Getting a vacation out of a business trip is something that goes over very well to them.