I would think the ariline would consider you to have checked in and thus it would no longer be refundable.

Of course, thats just a guess.

Does anyone have experience getting bumped on a transatlantic flight? I need to fly from ORD to BRU on Sabena or AA anytime between 5/18 (Friday) and 5/24 (Memorial Day) and I'm trying to book myself on a flight that has a chance of being overbooked because I have all the time - but not all the money - in the world.

I read many tips on getting dumped on domestic routes and I wonder if these tips also apply to transatlantic routes (ie flying Friday afternoon or Monday morning).

So, any suggestions?

Three or four years ago I remember getting bumped from AA96 ORD-MXP on the Saturday nine days before Memorial Day. They gave me a hotel room and meals vouchers and put me on the following day's AA96. That ended up being oversold too. So I volunteered again, and AA flew me the same evening to LHR, then on to LIN on BA. I arrived about 30 hrs later than planned, but I managed to visit the Art Instiute in Chicago (love it!) and gain $1350 in DV vouchers.

Of course, it's always a matter of luck. I've flown ORD-MXP many times on weekends in May, and that's the only time I was bumped.

Now that's exactly what I want! It seems to me that for some reason airlines don't overbook transatlantic flights like they overbook domestic flights. I have only flown transatlantic a dozen of times so far, but none of these flights seemed to be fully booked.

Odd that you were bumped on a Saturday BTW.

I've been bumped 3 times on LH out of DFW. If I totally cancel the trip, they'll give me $800 voucher if I go the next day or a $400 voucher if I am transferred to another airline on the same day.

On what days of the week did you get bumped? I'm trying to find out whether the domestic 'bumping-rules' also apply to transatlantic routes: I need to find the day on which I'm most likely to get bumped...

wmvink:


With respect to your comments about overbooking on overseas flights . . .

There is quite a bit of overbooking for these as well as domestic flights. DL commonly overbooks all the European flights. The one that really stands out is the flight to Rome from ATL which is routinely overbooked in excess of 40 passengers in coach.

I guess my best bet would be to fly on a Friday, Sunday or Monday. Thanks for your input guys. I can't wait to get bumped http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Apparently, this works. I was reading on another board recently about someone who did exactly this deliberately.

Apparently, this works. I was reading on another board recently about someone who did exactly this deliberately.

Apparently, this works. I was reading on another board recently about someone who did exactly this deliberately.

Apparently, this works. I was reading on another board recently about someone who did exactly this deliberately.

Another bumping success story:

About 2 years ago, I was flying from BOS to AUS on a FF ticket with Continental. I purposefully scheduled my return flight on the day after the Boston Marathon, guessing that the airport would be busy that day and knowing that my schedule was flexible. Sure enough, when it came time for my flight, they were desperate for volunteers and I was first in line to be bumped. Also standing at the desk was a furious man. He had arrived at the gate about 5 minutes before the flight and his seat had been given away (as the airline had every right to do). He kept yelling at the gate agent, saying he had been on airport grounds for the last hour, trying to park his car. She kept telling him that there was no way for Continental to know of his whereabouts – it had been his responsibility to check in for the flight at least 10 minutes prior to departure in order to retain his seat. After enduring at least 10 minutes of having this guy shout at her, she walked away to consult with another agent. During that time, I started talking to the guy, in an effort to calm him down. We talked about his transportation options. I let him vent for a few minutes and was able to get him to begin communicating at a normal volume. Then the agent came back with news (which clearly pained her to relay): there was one seat still available on the plane! Angry Guy ran onto the plane, still cursing his experience but clearly happy to be on the flight. The agent came back to the desk to issue the free flight vouchers that we volunteers were going to receive. When she began to issue mine, she thanked me for my efforts to calm down the angry guy and to show her appreciation, she actually gave me TWO free flight vouchers! Plus free food certificates, a long-distance call to my destination, and an upgrade to first class on my new flight, 2 hours after my original flight.

When my schedule permits, I love getting bumped!

Traveling to almost any destination in South America around Christmas time is a sure bet. Especially AA's flights out of MIA and UA's ORD-GRU and ORD-EZE.

I was on a flight with my family from MIA - Lima a week or so before Christmas. It was a red-eye and on one of those airbuses. All five of us ended up volunteering for $1000 each. They put us up in a hotel and booked us on the 1st flight the following day which left around 4 pm. $5000 was not bad!

United Shuttle has a max payment for bumping at $200.