I beg to differ. I was involuntarily denied boarding last year on NW, despite being Elite on them.

You need to be reminded there is never a gurantee that you will be bumped--you can improve your odds by buying seats on flights that are usally oversold but this in itself does not gurantee being given compensation for being bumped.

Flying DFW-LGW on the Friday of President' Day weekend. What do you think are my chances?

Also, being elite in various programs, I have found that when volunteers were needed, I have only been successful once. I think from experience, being elite is a red flag for bumping you. They would rather pick someone else. I have flown with only carry ons and and on direct flights to Las Vegas on a Friday evening and yet they still prefer to compensate a party of 3 making 2 connections for example. Also lost $$ while in Vegas maybe this was a consipiracy! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I don't believe Delta prioritize their bump list; at least not most of the time. I am a GM and I am very close to being a professional bumpee. I will try to volunteer for at least 90% of my trips. In fact, I have yet to pay for any of flights on Delta for about 3 yrs now. Although my vouchers will eventually run out because not all of my flights need volunteers. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

In my experience, the best way to get a bump is to have an alternate plan ready. In fact, if I have time, I will usually go to Travelocity and look up (and print) a couple of other acceptable routes both on the airline I am flying and on a different one.

If it is an airport that has some other options close by, I even create an itinerary from there. Usually "bump time" is chaotic and if you are armed with all this information (as well as pleasant about it) you will look like a saint to the agent, and will generally "get picked."

It's a great way to fund some leisure travel! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif It also comes in handy when your flight is cancelled and everyone is scrambling to rebook.

I don't know if status "helps" you get on the bump list, but I am confident these tips will make you a "platinum bumpee!"

[This message has been edited by eastwest (edited 02-05-2001).]

Here's a great route for being bumped- just golden. I'm going to try this in a few weeks to see what I can come up with.

MSP-PHX.

NWA flies DC-10's on this route, by and large.

On last Thursday, our 9:45 am flight (hardly peak time) was oversold, and I am a friend pocketed $300 vouchers.
On the 11:00 flight, we turned down $500 vouchers because we had an appointment.

On the way back Sunday, there again was a call for volunteers, but I needed to get home. The next flight was also oversold.

I was told by a MSP agent that this is among NWA's businest routes, and is a great one on which to get bumped.

Here's a great route for being bumped- just golden. I'm going to try this in a few weeks to see what I can come up with.

MSP-PHX.

NWA flies DC-10's on this route, by and large.

On last Thursday, our 9:45 am flight (hardly peak time) was oversold, and I am a friend pocketed $300 vouchers.
On the 11:00 flight, we turned down $500 vouchers because we had an appointment.

On the way back Sunday, there again was a call for volunteers, but I needed to get home. The next flight was also oversold.

I was told by a MSP agent that this is among NWA's busiest routes, and is a great one on which to get bumped.

I once met a MSP schoolteacher in HNL who had been travelling to HNL for Xmas for years to visit her son. She always booked to fly back on New Years Day, and was bumped every time.

For 8 years in a row Nw had basically given her sufficient credit with her bump to immediately get her next years ticket for free as well as every other year a trip somehere else.

I love it !

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Continental Airlines
American Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

NorthwestAirlines

This is my first time posting to this board. I found this site about a week ago, and have visited this site several times in the last week. You guys post very informative stuff.

About me: I am a web designer/developer in Alexandria, VA. I fly mainly on US out of DCA.

My bumped story goes as follows:

Last Memorial Day weekend, I was going to MCO from DCA via CLT. (A route I take several times a year to visit family in MCO.) It was the Thursday before Memorial Day and it was a three o'clock flight. I got on the plane, only to find out I had the worst seat in the plane: the very back row (no reclining seat)in the middle seat. It was a very full flight. A few minutes after I and nearly eveyone else sat down, the FA comes on and says, "We're going to play 'Let's Make a Deal' this afternoon. I need 4 people to give up their seat in exchange for a round trip ticket voucher." Needless to say, I jumped out of my horrible seat to take the offer.

They then booked me FC on a 6 pm flight to CLT with a connection at around 8 - 8:30 to MCO, and gave me a meal ticket.

A little while later I looked at the monitor to see that the 6 pm flight to CLT would be delayed by two hours or so -- I'd never make my connection. So back I went to the US special services counter. The agent searched for another way for me to get to MCO that night. She found one seat available on a US Express flight to PHL at 8:00 pm in order to make a 9:30 PHL - MCO route. No FC on US Express, but she did book me FC for PHL - MCO route.

I get to PHL and look at the monitor: the 9:30 flight to MCO was on time. A few minutes later they pushed the departure time back to 10, then 10:30. Then the gate agent makes an announcement: the flight won't be leaving till midnight, as there was a mechanical problem with the plane and they needed to wait for another one to come into PHL to take us to MCO. Midnight FINALLY comes around. I board the place half asleep, sit in my FC seat, but the plane never took off till about 1 am. Time of arrival in MCO: 3:30 am -- 12.5 hours from when my journey began.

Would I give up my seat after this experience for another free ticket? Sure, I even did so when they needed volunteers for a MCO to DCA flight coming back the 3rd of January.

Alysia, first welcome aboard and wow! That sounds like a lot of trouble for a free ticket. At least USAir was flexible too. I hope you had access to their airport lounge during those 12.5 hours! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Another great way to milk the bump game is to watch the departure board to see which flight out of a hub has cancelled, and then call and purchase a fully refundable ticket on the next flight on that route.

9 times out of 10, the folks from the cancellation will cause the next flight to be oversold since they are already at the airport they won't be no-shows, but there isn't enough time to change the overbooking profile accordingly. On the rare occasion that it isn't, you refund your ticket and go home.

I just found this site and I'm glad there are others with my same hobby. I used to be pretty good about getting bumped on domestic carriers. International hasn't happened yet.

Here's something I hadn't realized was a bump. I was flying from the carribean on Delta through ATL. When I checked in, the agent said that I had be rescheduled on a different flight, leaving an hour earlier, on American non stop to my final destination because of difficulties. Just what, she didn't say.

I asked if the AA flight was full (big difference between full, sold out, and over sold) she said it was "pretty full". I had her check other airlines and that was the only one. She was looking at me funny so I explained that I wanted to get a travel voucher for being bumped. (I meant on my new flight) She sighed and said, yes, I would get the Delta dollars for the flight there were changing me from. Huh? I don't know if its the same for other airlines, but when Delta reschedules you on a different flight, you get Delta Dollars travel vouchers. But, you MUST ask, they are not required to tell you. She thought I was asking.

I bypassed the AA counter & went to a customer service counter to check in. It was 3 hours before the gate opened and I NEVER go to the check in counter. Anyway, I volunteered & was first on the list. I was then first in line when the gate opened & ask to volunteer. The AA agent said that their policy on that island is to take locals as volunteers because they don't include hotel. I explained that I wanted to be bumped.

He explained AA's policy. They announce $300 because they are supposed to but they are prepared to start at $500. Huh? So, when no one volunteers at $300 they seem like they are going up. He said I was guarenteed a minimum of $500 even though the announcement would be for $300. I also said I wanted to be booked in first class on the next over sold or sold out flight. He said ok. I learned that on continental.

Continental gives the choice of a dollar amount voucher OR a ticket for anywhere in the western hemisphere except Hawaii. They were firm with their $300 offer on a memorial day flight from ERW-TPA. Since it wasn't going up, I took the voucher & went to Rio for Carnival last year. That ticket was A LOT more than $300 so I think I did well.

I tried to do this on transatlantic flights and ended up on middle middle seats of cramped 747s or DC10s....
"You're lucky Sir, we finally got a seat for you"...