Is this worth pursuing
 

Hi all. Not sure if this is in the right section but here goes anyway.

I have just started using Continental to fly to Tucson via IAH from LHR.

On the 24th I was in bound to IHR from LHR and my flight was delayed. This meant that it was touch and go that i would make the connecting flight. However i got news from my partner that my connecting flight was also delayed for the same period (30mins).

I cleared immigration and sprinted to Terminal B and arrived at the gate, the plane i was booked on was still there. I asked the gate operator if i could go on, they took my ticket and went to the plane, came back and said, "No its gone" rather bluntly.

The plane didn't leave for another 15/20mins, it would seem i was bumped and a person on standby got my ticket.

Having never had this problem before i was kind of baffled and was put on standby for the next two Tucson flights. Both of which were overbooked and full.

Subsequently i was unable to get on both of these flights and i was becoming more and more distraught that i may potentially have had to spend Christmas Eve and Morning in Houston waiting for a plane.

I finally managed to get on the last flight out at 9:15pm having only found out that i had a ticket at 9:00pm. This was some 7 hours after the original flight.

I got speaking to a Platinum member who said that they should have removed the standby flyer from my seat and put me on that plane. Apparently i should have made more of a stink about it.

Whilst i understand that flights get delayed and i might miss flights, in this instance i feel that the gate operator should have made more of an effort as i was there with plenty of time to go.

Is this worth pursuing, especially if i intend to make 7/8 trips to the US a year? The whole time I was there the Continental reps were unhelpful, rude and surly.

Thanks!

Sure, ask for IDB compensation from CO. They may counter with a voucher, and if that's acceptable to you, take it.

If they give you any lip (which is often the case when you call -- they like to deny responsibility), don't waste your time with them, and file a complaint with the DOT and ask for IDB compensation, claiming you were denied boarding involuntarily, and rebooked several hours later, asking for $800 in cash.

When the jet bridge has been withdrawn and the door close the plane can still sit there for some 15-20 minutes if there is any ATC delay, it is up to the captain to let you on or not.
I had this exact issue one time as I sat on the runway for a while waiting to taxi during some weather event, the GA went out and the captain opened the window and they spoke for a moment, he let me on. They had to reconnect the jetway and all, I got lots of evil stares on boarding but I made it. I didn't get my upgrade, but at that point my exit row was just fine!

It is not IDB if he arrived at the gate less than 10 minutes prior to the departure time, even if the plane was still there. Just something to consider before going after CO for the IDB.

+1

The Jetway was still attached and I'm almost sure the door was open as someone else walked down and came back up.

I just think that they didn't want to have to take that person off the plane.

You can walk down and come back up with the door closed.

What time was the scheduled departure and what time did you arrive at the gate? That is the key to determining if you are entitled to compensation or just to rant.

Maybe so, but the plane was parked with the Jetway linked for 15 or so minutes, so i find it hard to believe that the door was closed, however i am assuming this.

It just seems that it was more hassle for them to remove the other passenger.

I can't be 100% sure but I think I got to the gate around 5mins before the scheduled departure, which i guess means i don't have a great case.

Sorry OP, its really you have to be at the Gate 15 mins before

I dont understnad why you didnt fly into PHX and grab a shuttle to TUS, they go all the time and would have only set you back a few bucks. at most its a 1 1/2 hr drive, beats a 7 hr layover , thats if there were seats available

Like others have said, whether the plane is parked at the gate has no consequence. The flight was closed, meaning it has departed. Whether it sat there, on a taxiway, or in the sky. No difference.

You have a misconnection. Whether you may get compensation depends on why your flight was delayed. If it's a mechanical issue or other CO-controlled stuff, then yes. If it's just weather or air traffic, then no.

If your LHR-IAH flight was on a different PNR (even if it was a CO fkight), your're out of luck if you arrived 5 minutes before SCHEDULED departure.

If your LHR-IAH flight was on the same PNR and you arrived at the gate 5 minutes before SCHEDULED departure due to a mechanical or other CO controlled reason (not weather or Air Traffic), you should be due compensation.

It doesn't matter one's on the same PNR or not. The GA can still give away your seat to waitlist customers at 15 minutes before departure. They will consider whether one's likely to make the connection. That's based on experience and educated guess, and for one coming through IAH immigration, reclear security and ride the train to B, the actual time may be more and may be less.

And whether they'll hold the flight for connecting passengers are decision made by Expressjet's dispatchers on Smith St, not the GA. If they want that COEX flight on-time, they can tell the GA to not wait and process the waitlist and push.

This statement is conjecture, and I'm surprised other posters on this thread didn't pick up on it. Your seat my have been taken by another revenue passenger who, for some reason, had missed his/her earlier flight. Who knows? While I regret your being inconvenienced (and the alleged inconsiderate treatment of you by the GA), working up a conspiratorial explanation seems to serve little purpose.

False.


You say that you were sitting on the runway waiting to taxi when the GA came out to the aircraft? What? How'd he/she get out there? I don't get it... you're saying you were already on the plane.


As usual, Ray hits the nail on the head.