Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA 2014
Dec 29, 2014, 12:23 pm
#376
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,164
Got a brick today at ORD. I was on the ORD-DCA 1pm flight, and it was overbooked. Talked to the GA, was told I'd get $400 in vouchers and First Class on the 3pm flight to DCA. Minutes before departure, I was told I wasn't needed. Bummed, but not the end of the world.
Doesn't $400 seem a bit high only for two hours? Both flights were Skywest operated.
Doesn't $400 seem a bit high only for two hours? Both flights were Skywest operated.
Dec 29, 2014, 12:44 pm
#377
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,068
Dec 29, 2014, 2:21 pm
#378
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,586
Also keep in mind that they're trying to avoid having to IDB. Fares on those regional routes can be sky-high relative to, say, a t-con, with commensurately high IDB compensation (2x or 4x the one-way fare, capped at $650 or $1300, depending on whether delay is more than two hours).
Dec 29, 2014, 5:48 pm
#379
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,164
Also keep in mind that they're trying to avoid having to IDB. Fares on those regional routes can be sky-high relative to, say, a t-con, with commensurately high IDB compensation (2x or 4x the one-way fare, capped at $650 or $1300, depending on whether delay is more than two hours).
It was odd, though, how the VDB was forfeited by the GA. I really thought it'd be a slam dunk, especially with tons of people on the standby list, and the plane was jammed full. Is that normal?
Dec 29, 2014, 7:53 pm
#380
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 23
BOS-EWR-DCA 3/16. Got the overbooking warning at check-in kiosk, agreed to the offer of $150 if need be. Upped to $400 at the gate in Newark, rushed onto an earlier flight to IAD across the terminal. Put in exit row aisle seat and arrived in DC 20 minutes earlier than planned. Only problem was transportation from Dulles to Downtown DC, should've negotiated better for that at the gate.
Dec 31, 2014, 4:22 am
#381
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: ZOA, SFO, HKG
Programs: UA 1K 0.9MM, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Hertz PC, SBux Gold, TSA Pre✓
Posts: 13,811
Ah, okay, I stand corrected. I just thought that, because the general offerings of VDB's I've seen over the years, the standard was $150-200 for a minor delay of <2h. Plus, the kiosk initially offered $150. If I had gotten the VDB, I'd have gotten $400 for about 1.5 hours of waiting! Not bad at all, and I'd have loved that!
1. Unless you are booked in F, you are not entitled rebooking to F. Rebooking to F is a simply courtesy. Remember, F may not be even available.
2. The kiosk always says $150 IME.
3. Picking VDB can be tricky. It depends on your routing, status, etc.
4. You don't ask, but counter the offer.
VDB/IDB only occurs when pax are CONFIRMED for the flight but was not able to accommodate due to overbooking.
Somehow even UA still has a glitch asking standby pax to VDB.
Dec 31, 2014, 1:09 pm
#382
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,164
Few days before christmas I was flying SFO-IAH-LHR-FRA with the IAH-LHR leg upgraded to C with a GPU.
SFO-IAH was oversold by a lot (they ended up taking at least 6 volunteers, probably more, and were still looking). Only offering $200, but they offered to put me on the direct SFO-FRA in business. Of course, they booked it directly into C (well, D), so I had no problems upgrading to F
A few hours sitting in the SFO IFL, a double-upgrade to Global First class, arriving several hours earlier than planned, and a $200 voucher. Probably my best VDB to date
SFO-IAH was oversold by a lot (they ended up taking at least 6 volunteers, probably more, and were still looking). Only offering $200, but they offered to put me on the direct SFO-FRA in business. Of course, they booked it directly into C (well, D), so I had no problems upgrading to F
A few hours sitting in the SFO IFL, a double-upgrade to Global First class, arriving several hours earlier than planned, and a $200 voucher. Probably my best VDB to date
Dec 31, 2014, 1:48 pm
#383
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: HNL <-> BOS
Posts: 382
Last week (12/21) at LAX, the GA next to mine was offering $1000 for VDB due to weight restriction on a flight to Vail via DEN. Nice chunk of change for total flight time of about 3 hours.
Not sure if anyone took it because she kept announcing up until boarding.
Not sure if anyone took it because she kept announcing up until boarding.
Dec 31, 2014, 4:20 pm
#384
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: UA 1K, *Gold, AS, DL, AA
Posts: 5
Sorry if this has been asked: Does VDB compensation count towards PQD when redeemed? Thanks!
Dec 31, 2014, 5:24 pm
#385
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,666
this is different from 1016 vouchers which are generally dispersed through customer service emails, or united.com/appreciation, which do NOT count toward PQD. so in the case above you would only get $400 PQD on an otherwise $600 ticket if applying a 1016 type voucher.
Jan 2, 2015, 7:31 pm
#386
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,395
12/28/14 - SFO - LAS first flight out at 6:30 AM
Must have been oversold by 2. GA came onboard after all assigned seats were boarded and announced that she needed 2 passengers to volunteer and offered each volunteer a $600 travel credit to take a later flight. A guy at the front of Y jumped up immediately and took it for himself and a friend in the back whom he obviously hadn't consulted with yet but he went back and got him so I guess his friend was amenable to the offer. Loads were high all day on that route so I hope they didn't have to wait too long for a flight with space.
I thought $600 was a bit high for that short a flight but I guess they really wanted to avoid an IDB.
Must have been oversold by 2. GA came onboard after all assigned seats were boarded and announced that she needed 2 passengers to volunteer and offered each volunteer a $600 travel credit to take a later flight. A guy at the front of Y jumped up immediately and took it for himself and a friend in the back whom he obviously hadn't consulted with yet but he went back and got him so I guess his friend was amenable to the offer. Loads were high all day on that route so I hope they didn't have to wait too long for a flight with space.
I thought $600 was a bit high for that short a flight but I guess they really wanted to avoid an IDB.
Jan 3, 2015, 12:16 pm
#387
Moderator: Smoking Lounge; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: Lifetime (for now) Gold MM, HH Gold, Giving Tootsie Pops to UA employees, & a retired hockey goalie
Posts: 28,883
Time to retire the 2014 thread and continue the discussion in the 2015 thread here
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ua-2015-a.html
goalie
UA Forum Co-Moderator
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ua-2015-a.html
goalie
UA Forum Co-Moderator