Booked in F - Flight oversold - Advice
 

I have a last minute flight to HNL this Friday with a turn around Sunday for work. I booked both flights in F, and am 1K. Both flights are currently oversold up front and no seats are currently available, given my fare class and status I suspect that someone else is going to get bumped in favor of me, which means I am probably going to be sitting right next to their upset spouse to and from.

Question 1. Should I get myself protected on another flight, just in case?
Question 2. Any advice on how to handle someone else getting bumped and replaced with me? I have never given it a second thought on a short haul domestic, but a 7 hour flight may make this a little awkward especially when their vacation might start or end badly.
Question 3. What is the downgrade compensation for this flight at more than 3,000 miles?

Any other advice to avoid getting myself bumped?

I once flew TATL in seats (including my stranger seatmate, who had been in the same situation) that had been rebooked for me the evening before to avoid a 24 hour delay due to weather IROPs. The airline handled it well, although my seatmate and I looked at each other and smiled when we overheard a couple board and comment that we had gotten their seats. They had no idea what had happened and didn't seem to understand why, as kettles, they had been booted from business class.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just take your rightful seat and enjoy the flight in the event that everyone shows up and there really is an oversale and resulting downgrade. If someone gets ugly to you about the situation, report it to an employee. Don't engage in any conversation about what happened with any unhappy passengers.

Booked in F - Flight oversold - Advice
 

Shouldn't question #3 really be #1? :)

How do you know both flights are oversold? And the term should be overbooked...it's not oversold until more people show up to board the flight then there are seats for. There are lots of flights thus are overbooked, but don't end up being oversold.

And IIRC, I thought UA generally doesn't overbook the front cabin.

Seat map isn't a reliable indicator, if that's how you can to your conclusion. It's very possible there are a couple of seats that are blocked for selection, and will be opened up at check in time.

I think you're doing a lot of worrying about nothing. Very unlikely you'll be bumped and unlikely you'll be sitting next to the spouse of someone who was bumped. Enjoy the flight.

Good points, I used the wrong terms. I am lead to believe it is overbooked by the following:

Outbound Flight
F0
A0
JN0
C0
D0
Z0
ZN0
P0
PN0
R0
RN0
IN0
I0
Y9
YN9
B9
M9
E9
U9
H9
HN9
Q9
V9
W9
S9
T9
L9
K9
G9
N9
XN9
X9

Inbound

Although this just changed.

F1
A1
JN1
C1
D1
Z0
ZN0
P0
PN0
R0
RN0
IN0
I0
Y9
YN9
B9
M9
E9
U9
H5
HN2
Q4
V3
W2
S1
T0
L0
K0
G0
N0
XN0
X0


I had to book this through reservations, and the agent noted that it was overbooked when we went to get seats as there are none left. I agree on the seat maps problem as they are not a good indicator of anything, but I received the information from two sources, enough that it worries me a little. I assume it will work itself out, however it is stuck in my mind.

In addition, many things can happen up to the time of departure. Also, there is the possibility of mis-connect that could happen that we wouldn't know till boarding time. So, things may just work itself out.

1. Lots of flights are overbooked. Very, very few are oversold.
2. If your flight is oversold in F and you are an unlucky selectee for DG, make certain that the GA is using UA's software algorithm for the DG order. As a paid F 1K, you should be last to be down-graded other than a paid F GS. The DG order is essentially the reverse of the UG order with paid F at the very end. Please verify that you really are on a paid F fare, not some -UP fare, it really matters.
3. If you are bumped to Y, you are due a refund of the fare difference between F and the Y fare at the time of the bump (yes, it's unfair but it's been raised to DOT time and again).
4. UA as a service recovery matter will also provide a cert for $1,000 on a flight of that length. You might want to consider that.
5. Lastly, UA will rebook you onto other F services, but they won't be convenient and you have a short trip.

I assume you're booked on UA 382? In which case it's due to the pilot rest seats(4A/B). They show up as occupied on UA, but when you pull from GDS (I.e expertflyer) they don't exist. Somebody more knowledgeable on the DEN-HNL pilot rest rules can chime in, but I know on LAX-HNL 777, the same thing happens but they don't actually use the seats for pilot rest. Hence, UA is willing to sell those seats, but just can't assign until at the airport.

Do you have a seat assignment?
see wiki http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ation-etc.html

Check in early

It seems like that other thread about someone with a confirmed F seat being downgraded has really generated a lot of unnecessary concern...

I would say that all this talk of bumping, etc, is really very, very rare.

Booked in F - Flight oversold - Advice
 

This is a serious question: can someone define the term "kettle"? It sounds very derogatory to me. As a pilot at United, I see every passenger on my flights as just as important as every other passenger. I understand that there are different levels of frequent flyer status but I don't consider any one person as more important than any other person.

FAB

[Moderator hat on]

The term "kettle" refers to the old movie characters "Ma and Pa Kettle" who were good old simple country folks who have not experienced much in life outside of their small town let alone the big city (think country bumpkin) and that could/can be translated to/carried forward to first time/very infrequent fliers who don't understand the flying world the way many of us do. Examples would be those who bring everything (up to the kitchen sink) to a security checkpoint only to be told they can't bring the items thru, same type of folks who buy-up to first class and have never experienced it before and etc. And yes, it can be used in a derogatory manner

And now back to our regularly scheduled discussion

goalie
UA Forum Co-Moderator

FAB is right
 

It's a deliberately derogatory term employed here to make people feel better about the mistreatment of passengers they imagine as being different from themselves. Those without status are imagined to be hillbillies, a troubling and nakedly self serving equivalency.

FAB is right. As employed here, the term's intent is to reduce empathy toward those about to be mistreated by United.

It's true, frequent fliers without status are first in line for mistreatment. While I appreciate that FAB sees passengers as equals, the company he works for and the posters on this forum do not share that view.

To the OP: note that there are likely lots of 1Ks in F and that virtually all F cabin fares are Up fares. You may have very little leverage.

Since booked in F (i.e. not an upgrade), you won't get bumped or downgraded. Enjoy your flight.