Originally Posted by
jsloan
...
Having said that -- while I understand the allure of hanging out in the LH or TK lounges at IAD, keep in mind that you can get a lot of flexibility from UA in exchange for a VDB. You can be VDB'ed to other airlines or via alternative routings. For example, if I'm flying AUS-ORD-DTW, and I have some flexibility, and the AUS-ORD flight is oversold, I might ask:
- Can you put me on the DL nonstop?
- Can you route me through IAH?
- Can you put me on AA to ORD and then keep my original connection to DTW?
- Can you put me on AA through DFW?
- Can you route me into CLE/GRR/etc. via DEN/IAH?
- etc.
(I will first have found my preferred option and ensured seats were still for sale).
So, I would argue that having the first flight oversold is actually the most beneficial unless you happen to be flying out of a UA-dominant airport that only flies to IAD.
I'm flying CHS-IAD-PHL. I rarely go thru IAD. I've been to the LH lounge but only once to the TK lounge very quickly. I've been meaning to check it out again. I'll admit that is part of the reason. The other reason is that this happens to be one of the more rare circumstances where I'm open to a VDB so it doesnt hurt to make some money. Often my flights are late and I don't want to overnight or I just need to be somewhere. I understand there are multiple options. The reason for this question is that my layover is 50min and it will probably take around 20min to go from A to C with IAD's crappy system so the earlier I can get on the list the better. This is all speculation now, for my flight tomorrow there are currently still 4 unsold seats in Y but still good to know for the future.