lensman

My best VDB on pmCO was taking on on an ERJ145. It was the second-to-the-last flight of the day and hey were looking for one VDB. Everyone was onboard and apparently a late-but-within-limit boarder absolutely needed to be on the flight. I think they offered a $200 voucher and a flight 90 minutes later.

I decided if the other pax really wanted on, I'd help them out and take the VDB, especially since it would just mean that I'd get to the spend the 90 minutes in the President's Club instead of the Hampton Inn on my arrival - and in fact that I'd just eat dinner at IAH instead of at some chain restaurant in Norman, OK. IAH has pretty good food so it's a win for me.

Best part of the story: As they are processing the voucher, word comes that the flight is going to take a mechanical! The junior gate agent looks at the senior gate agent, who looks at me, smiles, and says, "Finish processing this gentleman's voucher and then we'll rebook everyone on the next flight."

The next flight was a 735 and had plenty of room for everyone. I think I even got the upgrade to F!

On the original topic, I don't think there's anything wrong with holding out for higher compensation. I think that people collectively will generally think the same thing, but $300 is a lot of money for some people and not everyone is going to get the VDB so I can't begrudge them taking the offer despite the fact that I think we should all hold out for an amount that I think is significant to me. [Editorial note: Depending on the situation, I'd find $300 to be enough. Heck, in the situation the OP describes I think $800 is fine if the reaccomodation is in C. At around $1000, though, I start to think about doing things that are potentially embarassing to me like those Fear Factor contestants]

You people [My peoples ] will call me a collaborator, but I often tell the agent that if they really need to bump someone, I'd do it but that if they find more enthusiastic volunteers they should pick them first because I don't need the money that much.

I was thinking that the OP wants us passengers to form a union to collectively bargain for a better deal.

PHLGovFlyer

With PMUA the computer did all the "sorting" ahead of time. No effort or time consumed by the GA. It also benefited the GAs because pax could get on the volunteer list well ahead of time so the GA could work out their protection IN ADVANCE. This also helped when volunteering pax were coming into an airport with a short connection.

Many times I'd arrive at a gate coming off of an inbound flight with a short connection having put myself on the VDB list at an earlier airport HOURS ahead of time. I'd note to the GA that I was on their volunteer list and they had already processed the vouchers and a rerouted itin for me! No muss, no fuss, and even less effort and time consumed during the critical 60 minutes prior to departure than is needed with the current all manual sorting system.

rob_flies_ua

I'll agree with this statement, but I'll state a slightly more honest reason: it means that I'm more likely to be bumped, and more likely to be bumped earlier in the process giving me better re-route options. I'll admit that my desire for elites to at least be considered first for VDBs is based purely on self-interest and not try to gussy it up with how I want prioritization because it's somehow better for the airline.

Edit to add: that gussying up isn't directed at you PHLGovFlyer, sorry if it reads that way.

raehl311

Actually, I would expect VDB compensation to exceed IDB cost on a regular basis.

- There is a customer satisfaction component to NOT IDBing someone
- There is an airline performace component - IDBs are tracked and reported publicly
- The cost to the airline of the VDB voucher is far below the face value. The VDB coupon won't always be used, and even if it is used, it's used on air travel on the same airline. That promotes the customer flying the airline again, AND the cost to the airline of flying one additional passenger is very low. So in many cases, they give a voucher to a kettle who wouldn't have flown the airline again and have to fly that kettle later, so the airline doesn't really lose out on anything but the marginal passenger cost, and may come out ahead with bag fees etc.

That does, however, mean it's generally a bad idea for the airline to VDB elites. There they really ARE losing the revenue when the VDB gets redeemed for airfare that would normally have been paid for with cash.

MSPGabe

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the old VDB list did not sort by status.

I always thought it did, but one day last summer I had a good 80 minutes to turn around a CR7, and along with an FT'er flying out, we experimented. The VDB list was always who was added first, status had no bearing.


And just for your information, we do have a list now that anyone can be added to at any time, from anyone. I haven't worked too many oversales yet, so I can't speak as to how that list is sorted.

STS-134

Whoa there, nobody ever promised me reaccommodation in C. I never asked the GA, actually, exactly how I would be reaccommodated, if I was removed from the flight. Is it normal procedure to give volunteers a seat in a higher cabin? I was actually afraid that, instead of an E+ window seat, I'd get stuck in an E- middle seat on the next day's flight (that's the only thing that the GA did confirm, that I would be back home a full day late).

rob_flies_ua

If you make a good seat (which depends for me on how long the flight is, equipment on rebooking, if it's a redeye, if I have to be at work at a certain time, etc, etc - might mean an upgraded seat, an exit row, anything close to the front, or whatever) a condition of being offloaded, then either you get it, or you don't agree to be VDBed.

iluv2fly

I totally disagree. I have seen the list many times, and it was sorted by status. I have also arrived at the gate and asked to be put on the list. The agent said that they had enough volunteers. I told them to humor me and please do it. Voila, I was the first one on the list because of my status.

dartagnan

Having been part of a hellacious 2006 bumpfest to LHR, I'm very glad they do VDB. It was during the World Cup, and all the flights were booked full. I took 6 bumps over 2 days, and they still were IDBing people like crazy from each flight.

Want to see something awful? Watch for someone's parents who have never flown internationally, and are on their 30th / 40th anniversary trip, get IDBed at the beginning of their "trip of a lifetime."

We Flyertalkers are used to international trips. We need to realize that most people, especially Americans, are not. It's a BIG deal to them, and a HUGE headache if they don't get where they're going when they expect to.

fastair

I don't recall if it sorted by status...my guess is it did, but that realy didn't matter. People got added to it all the time in many different places, oversold or not. My procedure was to make an announcement, regardless of if there as a list or not, when oversold, find out who it would be easiest/cheapest to reaccomodate, work the numbers so if I needed 3 an had (2) groups of 2, a grp of 4, and a group of 1 that volunteered, that I would b able to not remove more or less than was necessary, call them all up, and discussth options, an do whatever was operationaly and economicaly efficient.
If I could get the right number of volunteers who required no re-ticketing, no overnight/meal accomodations, and no luggage being rerouted/ left on a baggage carrousel, then regardelss of status or fare paid, those would be the ones I would pick. Since there is no obligation to accept any paticular vdb, if someone's alternate transportaton required a rerutin, bein put on another over full plane, baggage being pulled, hotls/meals, they woul fall lower on my list of who to choose, regardless of status of fare paid.

Whatever order the computer put them in was irrelevant as there is no programable formula for the computer to decide who is a "best" pick given all of the variables, including the actual number of seats needed after everyone has boaded.

PHLGovFlyer

No problem, and I'm with you on it being largely about self interest.

Ditto. Numerous times with PMUA I would be added to the list late in the process and yet routinely be called to the podium first when it came time to negotiate a VDB. All the while watching others that had been added to the list before me being boarded and not VDB'd. Maybe the "list" wasn't really sorted by status and the GAs were just doing their thing and being accommodating of higher status pax. Regardless, the effect was the same.

PWM I do understand that you currently have a computerized list available to you. I also understand that it is routinely not used or it is ignored for various reasons by a large number of GAs.

I understand and it was and should always be a given that the GA has discretion to choose whichever pax works best for the particular VDB situation at hand. That being said, there are a great many situations where there isn't much distinction between pax in terms of those items you mention such as baggage, hotels, etc., and in those cases I still think status should be a factor in selecting pax for VDBs.

MSPGabe

I would try and give VDB's to Status pax for a few reasons. One being you get to know your regular travelers and they're usually pretty cooperative. Secondly, they tend to be much more flexible with stuff like routings.

The list certainly wasn't, and isn't set in stone. We frequently jump around on the list depending on plenty of the factors that have been mentioned.

cordelli

As are voluntaries.

sethb

But when deciding if I want to buy a ticket on a particular airline, IDBs count against them, and VDBs count for them.

fastair

From a business standpoint, inverse status would be the way to go. Way more breakage from the guy that stashes it away and only rediscovers is 18 months later after it expired then from the frequent flyer who books a ticket with it that same week.

Breakage=free oversell. Usage by a customer who was going to buy a ticket anyway=lost revenue.

And I disagree with pwmramper. I work more flights in a shift than pwm (love the place, sister married there) sees in a day. I guarantee you, the soldier with no ff status who volunteers is far less demanding than a vdb gamer/ frequent flyer. They see the $400 travel credit, know that will get them a vacation, and is willing to fit for 6 hours. He isn't gonna ask for us to send his $$ to another carrier, isn't gonna ask for a free upgrade, he sees the offer, likes it, and accepts it as us with no extra requests except to use the phone