FlyerTalk Forums - VDB Chances and Tips

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VDB Chances and Tips

I will be flyıng AMS-YYZ on Jan 8, KL 0691. Right now, Expertflyer is showing all zeroes other than Y1. Does this look like an oversell, and if so, what can İ do to try and get VDB? Also, what is the expected VDB comp from this route? I am a E+ (DL GM). Thanks! :)

IF they need volunteers (note the big 'if'), it will be announced at the gate. VDB is not common in Europe (at least on this board compared with US airlines) so I have no idea what kind of compensation. Bear in mind that a flight that shows zeroed out doesn't necessarily have to be overbooked. There could be pax who don't make it, especially transfer passengers.

Flying AMS-LHR connecting from a USA flight and now need to be in AMS that afternoon. I was planning on just skipping the leg, but my flight is completely zeroed out

[KVS Availability Tool 7.2.1/Diamond - Availability/FS/US]

Code:

AMS  Amsterdam Schiphol NL [EHAM]

LHR  London Heathrow UK [EGLL]





Carrier    Flight  From  Depart    To    Arrive    A/C  St  Availability

---------  ------  ----  --------  ----  --------  ---  --  --------------------------------------------------------------

KL         1001    AMS   07:15     LHR   07:40     73H      J0 C0 D0 I0 Z0 O0 Y0 B0 M0 U? K0 H0 L0 Q0 T0 E0 N0 R0 V0 G0 X0

Now, if this flight is overbooked and I can VDB, I don't mind continuing on to LHR and then using Avios for a nice LHR-RTM on the 13:00 flight. Obviously I'd monitor this up until departure since it's still a few days out, but it sure looks overbooked to me. Plus, there's probably no chance my hotel in Holland would check me in at 6 AM anyways.

What exactly is KL's policy for VDBs - do they happen as often as on DL? What would they offer for compensation?

Last year, on a flight from LHR to AMS, they asked for volunteers for payment of just €75 and were swamped with volunteers.

As reported in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/klm-f...oaded-klm.html

It certainly doesn't happen as often as on DL. And it probably won't happen on your flight. That was the first -and only- time I had experienced that on KLM.

PS - if you don't plan on flying to London anyway, are you not flying with checked luggage?

And if there is no availability, it can mean just that: All seats have been booked. It does not necessarily mean that more bookings have been accepted than the number of seats available.

My experience is that particularly on short/medium haul flights from AMS, it is really useless to try and double read overbooking (or lack of) from availability data. Think of it that way, one US flight arriving 30 minutes late and suddenly there might be lots of empty seats on your plane. By contrast, 10 or 15 delayed passengers might mean that the next flight which shows Y9...N9 R9 G9 might end up being overbooked!

Yes, I agree.

Its the first flight tomorrow morning, and most of the morning flights look quite full. I figure I'll take a look at the availability tomorrow when I land at Schiphol and decide from there.

Let us know what happened

No volunteers needed, although I was a little late arriving. Ended up just clearing immigration and heading to my hotel. Really wish Holland wasn't this cold in June!