MisterNice

From the A P news wire:


Delta No. 1 at Bumping Passengers

Filed at 6:16 a.m. EDT
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) -- Delta Air Lines ranks first among major carriers when it comes to bumping passengers involuntarily from overbooked flights, according to government data.
Figures released Tuesday by the Transportation Department show the number of passengers bumped involuntarily by Delta soared during the first three months of 1999, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today.
The Atlanta-based airline had 8,144 involuntary bumpings from January through March, nearly as many as the other nine major carriers combined. Southwest had the second highest with 1,938 involuntary bumpings.
Involuntary bumpings occur when airlines overbook flights to guard against passengers who don't show up, and then can't find enough volunteers to give up their seats and take a later flight.
Delta's rate of involuntary bumpings was 3.33 per 10,000 passengers in the first quarter, worst in the industry, according to the figures. TWA was second worst, with a rate of 2.56 per 10,000.
Delta spokesman Bill Berry said a pilot sickout at American Airlines in February may have led to the increased bumpings as Delta tried to absorb stranded travelers.
``But I don't want to use excuses,'' Berry said. ``The hard fact is, we're by no means satisfied, and we have a high-level team working on changes.''
Berry said Delta had ordered new computer software to help manage overbooking, but that it had been delayed, adding to the bumping problem. The software won't be used until later this year, he said.

Beckles

BTW, if you'd like to see the entire DOT report you can at:

http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/atcr99.htm

Of course what they don't tell you is how well DL is doing in other statistical categories contained in the same report. For instance:

Overall percentage of flights on time:
May 1999: 79.7% (4th out of 10) (average for all ten carriers: 76.2%)
12 months ending May 1999: 80.3% (2nd out of 10) (average for all ten carriers: 76.7%)

Percentage of regularly scheduled flights that are late 70% of the time or more (in other words, the flight is consistently late):

0.0% (1 flight out of 2530) (1st out of 10)

Mishandled baggage:

3.79 per 1,000 passengers (4th out of 10) (average for all ten carriers: 4.44)

Consumer Complaints:

1.82 per 100,000 enplanments (2nd out of 10) (average for all ten carriers: 2.47)

As you can see, DL is above average in all other categories except for involuntarily bumping.

james

Thank you for putting that in context Beckles, with a very worthwhile post.

Even given Delta's (statistically) good performance in the other categories, it is both remarkable and disturbing that they had more involuntary bumps than the other majors combined! In my experience, they have always been fiarly generous witrh their terms for voluntary bumps - has this changed or are they just not asking any more?

James

Beckles

What's actually amazing about the statistics is that DL is not the leader in bumping (voluntary and involuntary combined) passengers, despite carrying 50% more passengers than any other airline.

AA bumped over 70,000 passengers, but less than 1,000 were involuntary, compared to Delta which bumped 62,000 passengers, but over 8,000 were involuntary. What is AA doing that DL isn't to get so many people to volunteer. If DL had the "volunteer rate" that AA had they'd be leading the industry!

BTW, for me all the other statistics above are more important than the involuntary bumping, because I'd volunteer before they involuntarily bumped me anyway, meaning that it is likely to never affect me!

AAPlatinum

American always offers vouchers that are good for a set dollar amount on future AA ticket purchases. If you get a $500 voucher (which is good for a year) and your ticket costs only $300, you get a $200 voucher (good for another year) as change. And you earn FF miles on these tickets. I believe DL offers free tickets rather than dollar vouchers. Correct me, Beckles, if I'm wrong.

I would never be involuntarily bumped because every time I check in for a flight I ask if they're oversold and if the answer is yes, I ask that I be put on the volunteer list.

Beckles

DL now gives Delta Dollars, which are vouchers for dollar amounts instead of the good old free tickets, so they are the same as AA, they must be offering less than AA ... I seem to recall someone saying it's usually $300 for a domestic flight, though it can vary by how long you'll be "inconvenienced" for ... still, $300 is good enough for most advance purchase flights witin the US!

MW Smith

I was booked on Delta 1146 ATL-IND May 28th. When I arrived at the departure gate 30 minutes before departure, the gate agent was asking for 15 volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for a $250 travel voucher. With no takers the offer quickly went to $350, then $450. Once on board the aircraft the agent made one last plea for 6 volunteers and the offer was up to $550. No one took the final offer and the aircraft departed with 6 confirmed passengers left behind.
Just to add, the voucher which was offered was good for travel in North America only, and excluded Hawaii.
To further add, Delta could not gurantee a confirmed seat until the next morning, and was also offering meal and hotel vouchers.

Beckles

Unless I had an important meeting to get to, I would have been ALL OVER THAT OFFER!



How come they never ask for volunteers on my flights ...

shadow

me too, Beckles....

PS-the last 3 flights I volunteered for were
nowhere near as much!

jeffreyt

I have been on the same ATL-IND flight, MW Smith, and had the same thing happen. I NEVER will go for free ticket vouchers, but I will accept a cash voucher. Why? Because one year when I accepted a ticket, it took me months to be able to use it. But the cash voucher can be used anytime. Plus, I get ff miles and it usually pays for most of the ticket. Also, I get first class due to my PM status. When given the choice, I'm with Beckles.

philforest

I wasn't affected, but when we arrived at Hartsfield for the last leg of the trip I talked about in my earlier post, there was only one seat available at the main check-in. That went to my wife. When we got to the gate, I was told I'd have to wait for a seat assignment (am I about to be bumped involuntarily?) After some discussion, my wife went ahead and boarded, while I waited - and waited - and waited. Then came the bumping announcement: They were offering reservations on tomorrow morning's flight, dinner, and a hotel, plus a $300 voucher.
Apparently, they got their volunteers, and my MM status probably moved me to the head of the list, because I was the last person to board. (I got an aisle, while my wife had the center in the back of the cattle car. This was also one of the few times I haven't been able to upgrade. The place was absolutely packed - Sunday evening.)

MW Smith

Beckles--I have thought about that $550 voucher many times recently!
Unfortunatley, I had a tight schedule and could not take a chance on not arriving until the next day.
The fact it was Friday, plus a holiday weekend, and a race called the Indy 500 in town that Sunday, all the flights were oversold.

Eidetic

Do most involuntary bumpings on DL happen at ATL?

MisterNice

It is quite interesting hearing from, I assume, mostly elite FF that WANT to be bumped. The ozone layer must be thinning again. My time is usually worth far more than a rt voucher, $10 meal voucher, "Delta Dollars" or whatever. I really don't need another free night in a cheap hotel in order give up my (hopefully) F/C seat to sit in a coach middle seat the next day on my return flight. Nor do I need another USA48 coach "free" ticket having more restrictions than an APEX ticket to London in July. Of course if it was a F/C rt unrestricted ticket to Hawaii.......... well, lemmee think. Lemmee think.

So far this year I have flown about 78000 miles, and Delta has asked for volunteers on about 1/3 of my flights on them, United once or twice, and Continental has never asked (i.e. zero). The majority of the flights have been on Contential. The announcement and volunteer process ALWAYS delays the flight departure. I honestly do not want to be voluntarily OR involuntarily "bumped" from any flight, nor do I even want to increase the risk of it. I hopefully buy my tickets to safely fly from here to there on a predicted and set schedule.

Maybe we could all get together and buy Delta the up-to-date software it says it needs to predict passenger loads. Or maybe it is just common ordinary GREED that is the real reason Delta continues year after year on this ridiculous course of over-over booking. As previously noted by an astute observer, they are looking (and acting) more and more like the Eastern Airlines Flying Circus of times past. I'm seeing the symptoms, and hopefully, avoiding the disease.

MileKing

No wonder DL scores very low in % of seats used for award travel! If their software cannot accurately predict loading, then it is more than likely that they are being very, very conservative in opening seats for award travel. Contrast this with AA who, arguably, has the best yield management progam in the industry. Is it any wonder that AA has the highest % of seats used for award travel?

I'm not sure about DL being greedy. It clearly costs them money to offer free travel vouchers and put people up in hotels overnight, not to mention meals and the customer service aggravation.