Mods: I wasn't sure which forum to put this in - feel free to move if needed.
Last week I fly EWR-LHR-EWR on UA and ended up getting voluntarily bumped three times in a row - totalled $3,000 in vouchers in one day. Now I'm hooked.
Question 1: These vouchers (I have 3, they are $1k each) say they cannot be combined when buying a new ticket. Does anyone know if that is really the case? Is it different if I call and pay the phone booking fee? Also, are they really limited to UA metal? Or just UA flight numbers, regardless of metal? (Or any * ticketed by UA?) Anyone have experience here?
Question 2: I need to fly NYC-LON again very soon. Need to book ASAP, be in LHR July 1 and 2, and have to keep the ticket under $2,200.
Other than that, I'm very flexible - depart/return dates I can do +/- 3 and I have a couch to crash on in London - so I'm happy to take my chances, even last-minute.
Given the above, how do I maximize my potential for getting bumped?
Are there any tools I should know about other than UA's 'expert mode' for search?
Considering schedules and summer weather, do you think Y8 on a 9:00am departure EWRLHR is worth more/less than Y8 on the departure 12 hours later?
[Are there any UA-specific threads about voluntary bumps that I should read up on? (I looked but didn't see any)]
THANKS for whatever thoughts you have!
Go well,
Jake
Book the ones that look the fullest..the only info you're going to get is the expert mode fare buckets. I'd choose heavier travel days like Sat-Sun.. avoid Tues-Wed. But it's a shot in the dark really as far as predicting bumps.
Congrats on the 3 in one day @$1,000 each! I've never seen an offer that high..usually it's $400 or $600. But the certificate doesn't lie... you can't combine them for one ticket so you'll have to use them separately. They are only good on UA or UX operated flights..you can't use them on code shares operated by other airlines.