No More Overbooking / VDBs?
Jun 6, 2017, 3:58 pm
#1
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
Programs: DM life is over 2MM PM now & NW MillionAir Wyndham Rewards Plat -Hotels.com Silver -Accor Silver
Posts: 15,408
No More Overbooking / VDBs?
A friend flew on Saturday, and asked at a gate at MDW if his flight happened to be overbooked. The GA told him that since the string of recent highly publicized incidents, there's a new policy of not overbooking flights any more.
Is this true?
<I searched the first 3 pages of threads and didn't find anything related. Please merge if such a thread exists. Thanx! DT>
Is this true?
<I searched the first 3 pages of threads and didn't find anything related. Please merge if such a thread exists. Thanx! DT>
Jun 6, 2017, 4:05 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: Southwest RR, DL SkyMiles, AAdvantage
Posts: 130
Jun 6, 2017, 4:23 pm
#3
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
Programs: DM life is over 2MM PM now & NW MillionAir Wyndham Rewards Plat -Hotels.com Silver -Accor Silver
Posts: 15,408
Jun 7, 2017, 6:30 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,459
Jun 7, 2017, 7:17 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PIT, BWI, or IPT
Programs: Dividend Miles, WorldPerks
Posts: 1,302
I suspect a very exaggerated post here
2/16 ATL-DL 2EA $400
3/16 ATL-DL 2EA $900
3/16 LAS-WN 1EA $300+Refund
6/16 PWM-DL 1EA $300
6/16 IND-WN 1EA $300+Refund
11/16 PVG-DL 2EA $1000
12/16 MOB-DL 2EA $400
1/17 ZRH-DL 2EA $1000
4/17 ATL-DL 2EA $500
That is nearly $11,000 my wife and I use for leisure travel. We always fly super cheap sale and/or mistake fares. Typically $600-700 RT to Asia and $400-500 R/T to Europe. We pay with VDB's and get more VDB's to replace them. I don't understand how you can authoritatively tell me I am wrong here. Do you need ticket numbers? Photos? Help with math to understand that $11k can easily buy a couple a lot of cheap round trip tickets?
Jun 7, 2017, 7:28 pm
#9
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,622
Intra-California flights have consistently been able to accommodate some standbys for years. My last VDB was about 3 years ago, and it's not from a lack of trying.
Jun 7, 2017, 7:31 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PIT, BWI, or IPT
Programs: Dividend Miles, WorldPerks
Posts: 1,302
I will be the first to admit, VDB's on WN are(were) hard to get. Most tries ended in failure.
Jun 7, 2017, 8:22 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: California
Posts: 1,127
I do get free WN funds today, but they are for mechanical and horrible customer service errors instead of VDB. Unfortunately the customer service part is way downhill from 20+ years ago. WN is expensive nowadays so it's not hard to burn them even though the WN funds don't count towards taxes and fees.
Jun 7, 2017, 10:43 pm
#12
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,622
This is easy to overcome. Just buy a higher-priced ticket with the full voucher and credit card. Immediately cancel it and refund the credit card part. You now have a ticketless fund that can be applied against 100% of your next purchase, including the taxes.
Jun 8, 2017, 5:24 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,698
Err...ok since the beginning of 2016:
2/16 ATL-DL 2EA $400
3/16 ATL-DL 2EA $900
3/16 LAS-WN 1EA $300+Refund
6/16 PWM-DL 1EA $300
6/16 IND-WN 1EA $300+Refund
11/16 PVG-DL 2EA $1000
12/16 MOB-DL 2EA $400
1/17 ZRH-DL 2EA $1000
4/17 ATL-DL 2EA $500
That is nearly $11,000 my wife and I use for leisure travel. We always fly super cheap sale and/or mistake fares. Typically $600-700 RT to Asia and $400-500 R/T to Europe. We pay with VDB's and get more VDB's to replace them. I don't understand how you can authoritatively tell me I am wrong here. Do you need ticket numbers? Photos? Help with math to understand that $11k can easily buy a couple a lot of cheap round trip tickets?
2/16 ATL-DL 2EA $400
3/16 ATL-DL 2EA $900
3/16 LAS-WN 1EA $300+Refund
6/16 PWM-DL 1EA $300
6/16 IND-WN 1EA $300+Refund
11/16 PVG-DL 2EA $1000
12/16 MOB-DL 2EA $400
1/17 ZRH-DL 2EA $1000
4/17 ATL-DL 2EA $500
That is nearly $11,000 my wife and I use for leisure travel. We always fly super cheap sale and/or mistake fares. Typically $600-700 RT to Asia and $400-500 R/T to Europe. We pay with VDB's and get more VDB's to replace them. I don't understand how you can authoritatively tell me I am wrong here. Do you need ticket numbers? Photos? Help with math to understand that $11k can easily buy a couple a lot of cheap round trip tickets?
Jun 8, 2017, 7:25 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PIT, BWI, or IPT
Programs: Dividend Miles, WorldPerks
Posts: 1,302
And yes...I hate material items.
The point of my response to this thread is...WN no longer deserves my time. (No tears from them I am sure)
Jun 8, 2017, 7:53 am
#15
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,698
Hopefully for you this is just some sort of PR move and semantics or loose definitions over overbooking are at play here. I find it very hard to believe they are completely abandoning their successful prediction algorithms and allowing flights to go out with empty seats especially at a business center like ATL.