Another bumping success story:

About 2 years ago, I was flying from BOS to AUS on a FF ticket with Continental. I purposefully scheduled my return flight on the day after the Boston Marathon, guessing that the airport would be busy that day and knowing that my schedule was flexible. Sure enough, when it came time for my flight, they were desperate for volunteers and I was first in line to be bumped. Also standing at the desk was a furious man. He had arrived at the gate about 5 minutes before the flight and his seat had been given away (as the airline had every right to do). He kept yelling at the gate agent, saying he had been on airport grounds for the last hour, trying to park his car. She kept telling him that there was no way for Continental to know of his whereabouts – it had been his responsibility to check in for the flight at least 10 minutes prior to departure in order to retain his seat. After enduring at least 10 minutes of having this guy shout at her, she walked away to consult with another agent. During that time, I started talking to the guy, in an effort to calm him down. We talked about his transportation options. I let him vent for a few minutes and was able to get him to begin communicating at a normal volume. Then the agent came back with news (which clearly pained her to relay): there was one seat still available on the plane! Angry Guy ran onto the plane, still cursing his experience but clearly happy to be on the flight. The agent came back to the desk to issue the free flight vouchers that we volunteers were going to receive. When she began to issue mine, she thanked me for my efforts to calm down the angry guy and to show her appreciation, she actually gave me TWO free flight vouchers! Plus free food certificates, a long-distance call to my destination, and an upgrade to first class on my new flight, 2 hours after my original flight.

When my schedule permits, I love getting bumped!