rustykettel

^ Perfect example of how AS empowers their employees, but only to a point and that point is often less than comparative airlines.

pinniped

$400 probably works well when you're talking about SEA-PDX flights. I just wonder how easily those 20 people can get rebooked onto decent flights to Seattle if they take an early-evening VDB from AS.

There aren't really a ton of seats down to ORD. You'd be hoping for a few seats on an E145 or similar.

Given the noise this year around IDB, combined with AS's rapid expansion into more midcon/transcon flights that don't always have a simple fly-an-hour-later option, you'd think they'd empower their GAs a bit better.

91foxbody

Everyone was being bumped to the next day.

fairviewroad

Well, you see, it was a rental plane, and they pre-paid for a tank of fuel, so it was in their best interest to return it on Empty...

formeraa

No, the stats accrue to the operating carrier, which would be SkyWest. However, very little attention is paid to SkyWest's stats.

infinite97

never underestimate the cheapness of your typical leisure passenger. I've seen people pushing and shoving at ORD for the AA $400 offer...

pinniped

Oh, I've jumped at my share of low offers over the years...but typically on high(ish)-frequency routes. I'll happily take $400 and go chill in the lounge for 2-3 hours. ORD-MCI on a Friday afternoon was, for years, a sweet gravy train for AA vouchers for me. Then they figured out some decent data analytics and stopped overselling Mad Dogs by 30 people.

It's those overnighters where I either need a really compelling reason to want to stay in that city, or they gotta be talking $800-1000 to get me to budge. MKE? In the summer, with the Brewers in town, hmmmm...maybe...

acarney

Wow, $400 is low! Does Alaska offer that when Horizon flights are cancelled from the schedule because of the pilot shortage? Just last week I flew and early 5:30am Delta flight out of PSC to SEA specifically instead of Alaska because of all their issues with Horizon. I was surprised the Delta flight was oversold and they were looking for four people to get off. I figured an issue with Horizon had popped up or a lot of people in this area are switching to Delta and EVERYONE is making sure they get to the airport now. Delta was offering $700 and then $800 for getting off on a flight that is about 35 minutes and ~$135 on way! I was really surprised and almost took it since my connecting flight in SEA wasn't until 10 hours later (and they had another flight going out at ~1pm)

I would have been rather annoyed at AS if the best they could offer was $400 even on a short route like that when they have been having so much issues lately with their schedules.


(And to note, I wasn't an ... that made someone stick behind, they got all their volunteers before they bumped it again, which I told myself was going to be the point where I took it since I would lose my vacation day in Seattle and was already debating heading into work for a couple hours if I took the delay... which looking back on now would have sucked)

Edit: Is there anywhere that has published results on how many times a specific airport has offered to bump pax in the last 30 days or something? If PSC really is having issues and Delta hasn't adjusted their selling rate to match the new demand on this route I might go book some fun PSC to SEA flights just for the heck of it, if I get a bump offer I'll take it and save that to pay for my vacation next fall, if not, I'll spend a day in Seattle having fun :P I figured this was a complete fluke though since I've never witnessed bumping an oversold flight at PSC before. Usually we have like 8+ daily to SEA but maybe things have changed a lot right now)

rustykettel

That's Alaska's standard (and apparently final) VDB offer. Compensation for flight delay or cancellation is lower still.

In some ways increasing it is worthless. It's a coupon code for a single flight, not a travel certificate with stored value unlike some OAL, and it's only good for economy. If you don't have a companion to spread it across, how many single $800 AS coach trips would the average person book?

ETA: See below for correct info. Mixed up discount code from service recovery comp & VDB comp certificates.

jrl767

haven't tried this, as I haven't ever received VDB compensation from AS, but it seems like you could book a coach ticket with the discount code and then use "make changes to this itinerary" within 24 hours to upfare to F ... certainly a PITA, but the end result would be the same

Often1

Low - High? Comapred to what?

If the AS customer base stood up and said "not a penny less than $500," maybe that would move the needle. But, it's a reverse auction and that means so long as there are usually people willing to take a one-time code for $400, that is the end of it. Especially so because it's not $400, but for a single steerage ticket valued at up to $400.

dmodemd

Hmm, the last one I got gave me a code which I was able to deposit into My Wallet online and use it like cash. I didn't see much in the way of restrictions on it and suppose it can't enforce really if it is cash in your wallet.
It was ripped off a booklet of pre-printed certs. The agent just writes the flight and ticket number on it.

I think I have heard rare occasions where they can bump the offer to $800 (two certificates)... presumably any multiple of $400 in extreme situations?

acarney

Interesting! I didn't realize that it couldn't be used for F (without messing around and trying to game the system) and that it was only good for a single booking! I just always assumed it was credit dumped into your account that could be used for paying for F, or a couple one way flights, or something like that. Man, I'll really have to think more before I take something like that!

I know it's a bit off topic, but is this sort of the industry trend? Like do the same kinds of restrictions exist with Delta and AA and stuff? Because if so, that is rather useless for a single traveler (like myself). Round trip to LA in F from PSC was only like $650, and way less in economy, so a big bump compensation wouldn't really be that useful! I was thinking I could use the Delta one for a couple round trips to Seattle and back just for fun during the year, or to pay for my trip next fall....

They don't mention all those rules when they make the announcements. How much of an ... would you look like if you go up to the desk saying "ya, I won't miss any important plans" then find out all these rules and go, "Nah, I'll keep my seat" when the dude that NEEDS on that plane is watching all this. :-/

rustykettel

Sorry, that's my fault! I got the service recovery comp & VDB comp mixed up in my head. dmodemd has the correct info above.

pinniped

My AA bumps in the past yielded vouchers that spent like cash. In a couple cases they were *better* than cash, because the act of using a voucher caused a one or two of the many taxes on the ticket to not get collected. (This was 10+ years ago; current experiences may vary.)

My long-ago UA bumps spent like cash. Then UA went through a period where their typical domestic VDB was a free coach ticket, 48 contiguous states only. An overnighter would often be 2 tickets. Believe it or not, I actually *liked* these because they booked in Q, a semi-high booking class, and I could use them on MCI-SEA which was a $600-ish R/T in the summer. UA then went back to cash, perhaps as a result of the CO merger (?).