So, as stated in the other thread I started, I my ORF-EWR segment of ORF-EWR-SYR was cancelled on Sun 8/3 due to "weather". I made arangements via the elite line to be on the next ORF-EWR-SYR flight, which was the following morning.

ORF-EWR was scheduled to leave at 6:45.

I arrived at ORF at 5:45, and proceeded to the "paper ticket/manual check-in line" at ORF because person who rescheduled me said I would have to do that and surrender my other boarding passes that I prited on on-line checkin for the canceled flights.

Well, there were several other passengers in the same boat as I was waiting in line, unable to be helped by a kiosk because of the rerouting caused by the weather delay.

I stand in line for 10 min... I overhear the agents talking to the person ahead of me in the line about how the 6:45 flight was "overbooked" because of the weather delays yesterday and that one pax who wanted to switch to it was SOL. I get up and they're using the terminal to find my records and get ready to print my boarding passes when the only two "manual entry" terminals go dead due to a localized power failure in that part of the ticket counter.

The agents indicated "oh, not this again" and stated that this isn't the first time that this has happened. Of course, since they ripped out all the other terminals to install the new self-serve kiosks, they had no ability to check us in. They spent some time trying to get the power restored, and finally decided to create hand-written boarding passes and told me, and the 8 other pax behind me to go to the counter at the gate and have them print our connecting passes.

I get set on my way around 6:15 -- and specifically ask if we're going to be able to clear security in time to make the flight. The agent said that we should not have any problems.

Well, the security line was long and the TSA agent would not let us jump it. I've flown through many big airports, but ORF had the looongest security line I've ever seen. Then when I got to the time to be screened, they indicated that it is TSA's policy to do the detailed screening for anyone with a handwritten boarding pass or gate pass. Re x-ray bags and shoes, hand search them, explosive test the laptop, and the full wand even though you passed through the metal detectors.

For the sake of brevity, by the time I get to the gate it's 6:44 and they've already closed the gate. After arguing with one gate agent about whether I did or did not show up an hour before hand, I start making rescheduled travel arrangements.

By the time they've finished my rerouting 8 other passengers show up and stand in line because they, too had handwritten passes and got the extra security treatment. Incidentally, we were all there by 6:50, and the plane didn't push back from the gate until 6:55.

They could have held that flight 10 extra minuites to accomodate 8 pax (7 paying, one lap baby). It was on an ERJ, so 7 is a significant number. I can't tell you how many times my flights have been delayed 5 - 20 mins just to accomidate a few pax who had checked in but not made it yet. After all, it was their equipment problems and their lack of understanding about the TSA's handwritten boarding pass rule that caused us to miss that flight.

Here's what I want to know... Do you think CO diliberately closed the flight exactly at 6:45 not waiting for 8 pax because it was "oversold" -- and they saw that as an opportunity to invoke the 15-min. gate rule to avoid having to pay anyone Involuntary Denied Boarding compensation?

Is there a way to find out how many seats were filled -- or more importantly, went out empty on that flight? If there were fewer than 7 empty seats on that flight then that's proof positive they used the system to screw us out of compensation... Let alone wasting a whole day of mine... I had to claim another vacation day at work because they screwed me twice. Nice treatment of a CO Silver soon to be Gold.

I've already written my complaint letter, but I would like some feedback on what people think about this scenerio before I send it.

There are many, many more details I could go into, but this is the best summary of my problem. Thoughts?

You give too much credit to the CO agents for thinking about conserving revenue to avoid the DBC's by handwriting the boarding passes. I doubt the idea of getting around DBC's even remotely came up in their minds.

However, even with the poor weather, it sounds like that airport was a mess and that the CO agents handled the situation poorly. If I were you, I would write the complaint too. While I doubt they were trying to conserve DBC $$$, it sounds like they weren't using much common sense to get you to your destination.

I'm not blaming the power problem and the handwritten ticket solution to the "trying to save money" route... That happened. I know if the thing was working I would have been at the gate with time to spare, and I would have been on that flight because I had a seat assignment.

What I am saying is that possibly the gate agents used the 8 pax checked-in but not showing up as a way to deal with avoiding the "finding volunteer process", etc. ie: Let's say they oversold by 5 tickets. 15 mins out they don't have any voluenteers (prolly because they all want to get home after the previous day's debacle). We're not in the boarding area yet so they cleared those 5 people off so that they could avoid the compensation route all together. After all, if we're late to a flight they don't have to compensate us.

But I would argue, I was only late for the flight because THEIR EQUIPMENT (which they have a history of this failure) and THEIR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF SECURITY SCREENING made me late.

Who makes the decisions to close the flight and leave 8 people who have checked-in, and got held up because of their equipment failure stranded?