Questions about getting bumped.
 

I have been searching thru the forums for getting bumped and making it to your advantage. I know the chances of getting bumped on a last flight of the day as well as an early morning flight are the greatest to popular destinations.

If you are bumped, or if if you volunteer to get bumped, can you ask to be (along with voucher and $) placed in business or first on the next available flight, or is this asking too much?

What does CO usually offer?

My flights show up on the CO website as fully sold, and I know they over sell, especially to LAS.

Am I asking for too much?

Thanks in advance, and I must say that FT is a wonderful site!

You're certainly not out of line to ask for first on the new flight. On domestic flights I usually hear them offer this in addition to the voucher, so you might not even need to ask.

If you get offered a vdb voucher early before the flight departs you might want to stick around the gate area until they are finished with boarding. If the offer goes higher than what they gave you before they are finished then you're also entitled to the higher offer. Personally I've only been given vouchers after the boarding, but I've read other recieved them on grossly oversold flights earlier then left the gate area before the gate agents were finished boarding the flight.

It can be difficult to predict which flights will oversell. The standard holiday times (Thanksgiving, Spring Break and Christmas) are the best for getting the bump. Getting a Fclass seat as part of a bump payout is not standard.

I always try to negotiate! Extra food vouchers if it is the next flight out, an extra $100, F or whatever else I feel like asking for. Why not, all they can say is no. One time when I negotiated successfully, the GA told me that she had never had someone do that. And that most people just stand there and sign where they are told.

I once negotiating no meal vouchers in exchange for few on-board drink certs instead. :D

Once, while traveling on business, I negotiated/traded two food vouchers for an additional $50 in the VDB voucher.
(Company was paying for my meals....)



OT:
Does anyone else think there should be a forum created just for:
Bumps: Strategies, Stories, Advice

I agree, there needs to be a new forum on this topic!

CO has the BEST (worst if youre LOOKING for a bump) rev. mngt team out there!

It is soooo rare to see a plane with an open seat, but also i almost NEVER hear offers for VDB.

Last year I had ~180+ CO flights, and had the opportunity ~4 times, and took it ONCE. Did have F oversold ~2 times, and all they offered was a "space available F class u/g" to "give to a friend, etc".

I saw my flight's (EWR - RDU) pax being offered a hotel voucher, meals, plus 300 dollars in CO "cash" towards a future flight because the one going out that night was oversold. I thought that was pretty generous.
On a related note, does anyone know where they put you up at EWR when they give you a hotel voucher?

If I was bumped in LAS, where would they put me and my daughter up? I doubt it would be a strip hotel.

I took an overnight bump in January 2007 (EWR-LAX) for $400, hotel, and food vouchers. The hotel at EWR was a Holiday Inn (not fancy, but clean with a decent breakfast).