Getting Bumped...
 

I know it's been discussed many times but after looking through the search I couldn't find an answer to a specific question.

Is a bump more likely on a 200 seater or a 50 seater? If going for a bump which would be the smarter segment.

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Anyway, I'm on a rewards flight to go back home for christmas and the flight is BDL-STL-SFO with the first being a 50 seat flight, second 150 seat MD-80. The itinerary is for Dec 21 (Wednesday), both planes showing currently to be full.

What's the likeliness of getting bumped, just from peoples experiences?

Do they provide rewards travelers with additional free travel or will look at me funny for volunteering on a rewards flight at check-in?

You'd like to see all zeroes in all fare buckets. There's no clear difference between the likelyhood of getting bumped on a 50 seater versus a 200 seater. In that respect, the timing of your flights is a bigger factor.

That's what I figured, are the any other odd coincidences that happen with being bumped.

Like... I was thinking. The likeliness of getting bumped is much higher on the weekend because there's more travel on the weekend but at the same time if a flight is oversold on a weekday it seems like more of those would be non-refundable fares (less business flights) and would probably be more likely to be bumped. This is somewhat fuzzy logic, but I have no experience. Anyone know a site or thread that discusses this thouroughly?

Cancelled flights (not yours but other flights) and they have to put PAX on your flight...There are numerous odd situations. All the PAX (who had a reservation) show up in an overbooked situation and etc.

If you want to go the weekend route try booking Friday evening when most people are trying to go home from work or Monday morning when they are trying to commute to work.

If they need volunteers, they will be happy to have you regardless whether you are on a reward ticket or a one-way first-class full fare.

I chained a few bumps off of a reward ticket. A couple of times they upgraded me on my rescheduled flight. On all they gave me what every other volunteer received (which was usually a free roundtrip ticket).

Bumping scenario
 

A flight is overbooked and you're the first to volunteer. They offer a Free Ticket and you accept. Later they find they need more volunteers and up the offer... to (whatever). Do you get the original amount you agreed to, or do they figure you'd get pretty pissed being the one to volunteer and get screwed because of it.

I figure you have to give everyone the same amount. If I talked to someone else and found out they got twice as much, I'd be pretty mad. Anyone know the airlines' practices?

Since I've never done this before, anyone have any sort of tips as to how to go about this? Do I ask at check-in or at the gate? When is it best to ask/arrive? Is it rude to ask more than once? Can I (non-elite) get #1 on the list? Are there any strategies to get them to up their offer? When to ask to get rerouted to a new destination?

I'm just so fuzzy about what to do, and afraid to be beat out... anyone have any tips as to a sort of systematic way to ask to be bumped once a ticket is already booked?

When you check-in, ask the agent if your flight is oversold. If they respond yes, then tell them you'd like to volunteer to be bumped. If the check-in agent says no, then ask at the gate.

At the gate, ask about the likelyhood of being bumped. If it's good, then inquire about compensation (most likely a free round-trip ticket) and how they'll get you to your final destination. If you don't like the answer, you can always remove yourself from the list. The only way they'll sweeten the offer is if they can't get enough volunteers.

You get what YOU agreed upon / negotiated, not what others agreed upon / negotiated. ;)
It is good practice before you say, "Yes, bump me!" to ask them what they are offering and if they can confirm you on the next available flight.

Never, never take the free ticket (unless that is the only thing they are offering... in which case still ask for the Credit Voucher, they may give it to you).

(I know the below is true for NW, not sure of other airlines)
You don't earn miles on the free ticket.
Free tickets come from the same class as award flights, so they can be hard to book.

I was bumped on a Sunday evening flight. I checked in via the kiosk, and then asked at the gate, when I overheard someone asking to fly standby, and the gate agent saying the flight was overbooked. At that point, I said I would volunteer. After boarding was complete, they had two empty seats, and were looking to fill those with people who'd volunteered to be bumped. When asked about me by another gate agent, the first gate agent said, "She was the first volunteer, so she's not an option to put on this flight." I'm non-elite, so that didn't figure in to the equation. I would ask at the check-in counter, and then ask at the gate, assuming you've been told the flight is full, as soon as you get there. I would arrive a bit earlier than normal, and be sure to go straight to the gate. Good luck!

Odd
 

I sometimes fly as a non-rev on Continental. On a number of flights this summer I was trying to get on a fully booked (or overbooked) ERJ. I got on every time, and I wasn't the only one. Some of them were booked at 54 when the capacity was 50. I was completely mystified, as on the larger aircraft I have sometimes been unable to board even when there were lots of seats available the day before.

It doesn't surprise me so much out of a hub like Houston or Newark, but it DOES surprise me in PIT! That's another key: are you flying on a major carrier at its hub? Because there's a much higher noshow due to misconnects in that situation.

No STL isn't a hub for AA I don't think and BDL (Hartford) isn't an international hub either like Boston would be. Although when I looked at farebuckets vs. the aa seat assignments I did notice there was 2 seats left. Good chance they get sold within 2 weeks?

Definitely, definitely try to get cash or a credit voucher. Sometimes you have a choice (voucher$ = 2x cash$ in me experience), and cash seems to only make an appearance on big international routes.

Trading time for $ is good, getting miles along with it (the flight your credit buys) is even better..

On AA everyone gets the final, highest offer.

I'm surprised that any airline has a different policy. Aside from the ethical issues involved and the hassling of agents that is sure to ensue from people who feel (with some justification, IMHO) that they were wronged, it's hardly the best way to get people to volunteer quickly.

If they say they are going to need more than 1, I would always say I'm willing to give up my seat, I expect to recived what ever your highest offer is.

Since every passenger on the plane is paying a different fare and talking about it why should vouchers be any different?

It's been a while since I got bumped, but the last time I did it was on CO and the GA gave you what they offered at the time. I actually waited until they bumped up the offer. I would have been unhappy if they gave the first who volunteered (for less) the same as me.

I am a little sorry to blast you for posting something on FT, but all you are going to do is get 45 people's opinions. What are you going to do? Count them up and get a "scientific" answer to your question?

Good luck.

A few years ago, I was in the same shoes as kipper. Non-elite, volunteered to be bumped, got bumped. At the end of the boarding process, though, there were empty seats due to noshows from delayed passengers. GA saw me there and asked me to board. I got bumped, and I got on my original flight!

Looking back, I should have stayed out of the area because the later flights were full, and I would have been bumped if I had not boarded the plane.

I have been bumped on UA, US, and, years ago, HP. On all 3, I was one of the first volunteers, but I ultimately got the highest offer, as did all the volunteers. As near as I can tell, this is usually the case, because they don't usually rebook you until after the flight has boarded, and then they are accomodating everyone.

I was on a HP flight from LAX to LAS, they offered $200 voucher and a flight 1 hour later. I took the offer but they still needed more passengers. Few minutes later they offered $300. GA called me over and said I would be getting $300 and a seat up front for volunteering first. :)

That seat up front for volunteering first sounds like the advantage conferred for being first to accept the fraternity bid.

Unless they know that they are going to need the seats, like the Sunday after T-Day. Late afternoon, early evening flights with the preceding flights all full. AA offered $300 for SNA-SJC, same to all volunteers, about 1 hr before flight time. No flights available until Mon but I was looking forward to dinner with Mom more than a potential second bump. Already had the rental car reserved. US never seems to want to offer anything but free tickets and they make you wait until the flight leaves to get it. I always refused them. UA (actually UX and again on X-Mas day,) needed 26 volunteers when they downgraded equip from a 76 to 50 seater. $600 that time, though I did sit next to another pax who got only $400. FC seat on next flight, which also was downgtraded from a 320 to a 319, so technically, my assigned seat didn't exist, but there was another open in FC. I heard AA was offering $500 and a later same day flight in LHR for some flights on the Mon after T-Day.

I always find it best to get on the list early, even if it means going to another gate, before your gate opens, and having that GA put you on the list. They usually know which flights they are going to need volunteers on well in advance of the gate opening.

And always ask for your seat as reserved (or UPG'd) until they agree to compensation, that way you don't lose it if they end up not needing it. I did miss an UPG to FC from 10F on a 757, when they didn't need my seat. At least I didn't end up in the middle seat in the back.

I find this time of year getting bumped should be easy no matter the aircraft or airline. The closer to Christmas, the eaiser it gets.

In my situation, we had to stay near the gate, or at least return before the flight left, as they were not printing new tickets until after the original flight left. I did consider trying to get bumped from my new flight, but they weren't dealing with any of that. The arriving flight had been delayed, so when they arrived, they herded everyone off the plane, then herded everyone on as quickly as possible. They stopped allowing people to stow carry-ons about halfway through boarding, and insisted everyone else gate check their bags, as they were in a hurry to get the plane off of the ground. Since the arriving flight, and likewise, the flight I was on, had been delayed, the flight crew was close to running out of flight time for the day. It was a, "If everyone isn't on the plane and seated, with luggage stowed and seat belts fastened in ten minutes, no one is going anywhere tonight." So, a bump on that flight wasn't going to happen.

Make sure that you volunteer for all segments when checking in for the first. I was able to get bumped a few times on flights out of hubs by volunteering at my first, smaller airport. Be pleasant. I always say something like, "my plans are flexible and I can travel on another flight if it will help you out." I would think that the staff at BDL will be more receptive than at STL. I have been bumped into FC, onto other carriers (and received double FF points), with award tickets, and so on.

Elite status does not matter. It is not rude to ask more than once. Use the same pleasant, helpful tone to ask all appropriate personnel (check-in and gate agents at each airport).

You can negotiate compensation. I have not been in a situation to try it (although I have requested and received meal vouchers and phone calls). I have spoken to others that have. It depends on the number of volunteers and standbys.

Good luck.

There is a large bump thread discussing this at

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278082

My rule of thumb is I avoid 50 seaters because they on average have only one or 2 overbooked seats. They are more likely to fill up on days when larger planes don't though.

I like to book the heavest travel days so I always go for the larger planes. When a flight is overbooked by 30 you have a much greater chance of a bump.

If you are successful getting bumped, you might ask to get a dollar value certificate rather than a free round trip. My experience with free round trips are limited availability.

I had a US Air certificate. Airfare where I wanted to go was under $200, but there was no availability with the certificate. I was able to call customer service and they exchanged my round trip cert for a $200 cert and it worked out, but you might be better off asking for the dollar value cert up front.

A smaller aircraft can be replaced with a larger aircraft if the airline predicts a significant capacity problem and the larger aircraft is available, which would eliminate the bump possibility.

Does the possibility of a "weight" bump add to the chances of a bump on a smaller aircraft? Or do they consider a "full flight" to be less than 100% capacity, allowing for weight?

GOOD POINT!
Lost my exit row aisle when GA told me they'd need my seat, only to be relocated in a far less desirable seat on the same flight. This was Trans-Pacific too! So HEED THE WARNING!

Not possible on short notice, difficult even with a few days' notice, because it screws up the downstream route structure. Even if a 757 (for example) is available to replace an MD-80, the added cost of flying a 757 over an MD-80's planned routes - and, except for the first leg, carrying loads that would fit in an MD-80 - until they can get things straightened out again outweighs the cost of bumping a few people.

As for the 50-seater versus 200-seater question: airlines assign aircraft based on expected passenger loads, then sell tickets based on the capacity of the assigned aircraft, so the average chance of a bump is the same. However, since the law of averages tends to work better with large numbers, the statistical forecasts are more likely to be wide of the mark in either direction on the smaller plane. The distribution has the same mean, relative to aircraft size, but a wider spread. If they oversell a smaller plane, or run into some other problem that overloads it, it's more likely to be a doozy and they'd have more trouble getting enough volunteers. All in all, though, I wouldn't base bump planning decisions on aircraft size.

Shifting the conversation slightly. I am scheduled on the last HP flight of the night SFO-LAS Dec 22. Flight is oversold and I fully plan to be top of the list for bumping. My cuurent travel plans have me flying to LAS and driving to RNO that night. There are 2 more UA nonstops that night SFO-RNO with availability. Availability is still good considering the dates of travel when searching United.com - the US codeshares of these same flights show 0 availability.
United Airlines 6446 Y2 B2 M2 E1 U1 H0 Q0 V0 W0 S0 T0 K1 L0 G0
United Airlines 240 F2 Y3 B3 M3 E3 U2 H1 Q1 V0 W0 S0 T0 K2 L0 G0 P0 A0

While HP and UA have e-ticketing agreements, will they reroute me to a different destination since there are no more flights out to LAS that night? OR will I end up renting a car and driving 4 hours instead?

They might re-route you. Better probability (almost assured) if it was the same carrier's metal. They'd get to keep the $$.

A weight bump can add to the chances of a bump on a smaller aircraft.

I live in a city where only NW Airlink turboprops operate. Both here and in MSP en route to here there have been times they have asked for volunteers due to weight/balance issues. It depends on the weather, number of checked bags, etc. A full flight with all 30 seats taken might be fine one day to take off but another day due to temperature or weight issues they have to ask for several volunteers off a flight booked to 30 passengers. Once in MSP I heard the GA asking for 7 volunteers off a 30 passenger plane (the next gate over, not my flight). That was due to weight issues.

Whether you accept a dollar off voucher or a free ticket should depend largely on how far in advance you plan and the destination you are likely to use the ticket. I find that the free ticket is often more valuable than $200 or $300 vouchers. That is because I tend to book way in advance with these vouchers, thus giving me access to seat availability. And I don't use them to FL during spring break, etc. It just depends on your travel and booking patterns.

great thread.

Let me see to increase chances
of being bumped -

Book an earlier flight on same day so if you do get
bumped you have a next flight to get on?

say flights at 9am, 12am, 6pm, take the 9am flight?

I've seen a lot more weight bumps on prop planes than jets. I guess Denver might be a good place for this strategy but it never worked for me.

If it works it would be limited to the summer also.

with over 60 flights in 2005 I did not get bumped once! I listed many times but no luck! Even flew the sunday after Thanksgiving!!!!!

A little sorry to blast YOU, but why the threadcrapping? The OP clearly stated that he wanted to know people's experiences. Very little (if anything) on FT is "scientific", as evidenced by the amount of "YMMV" posts on the site. What makes FT great is the fact that the "45 people's opinions" (nice grammar, BTW) come from 45 experienced road warriors, who are happy to share their knowledge and tips to help their fellow travelers.


The OP wanted to know people's experiences with getting bumped, and was looking for advice/opinions. He didn't say that he was from Gallup conducting a poll, or attempting a randomized, double-blinded study on bump frequencies.


jeez, and we wonder why people call us crabby and elitist...

Would you share a bit with us about the airlines your flying patterns how full the flights were etc... Are you saying you flew 60 segments or 60 trips? If I don't get 1 in 6 segments I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Have you ever asked a gate agent at your frequent airport which flights produce the most bumps?