Jan 10, 2016, 1:27 am
Last edit by: Wooglin
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Related thread - Is this IDB? Am I entitled to IDB compensation? [Consolidated]
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2016]
Mar 14, 2016, 1:12 pm
#76
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^ Glad to see this actually happens once in a while.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:13 pm
#77
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Total. Nearly the first words out of my mouth were, "depends on what the compensation offer is." That elicited a chuckle from the rep.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:16 pm
#78
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Total. Nearly the first words out of my mouth were, "depends on what the compensation offer is." That elicited a chuckle from the rep.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:19 pm
#79
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Total. Nearly the first words out of my mouth were, "depends on what the compensation offer is." That elicited a chuckle from the rep.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
$800 per person...I couldn't even get that after Christmas when O'Hare had a massive travel waiver and I was offering up my party of 4 as a VDB. Max they offered was $600 pp and no available flights for 48 hours.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:19 pm
#80
Join Date: Aug 2008
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She started at $100, which was a non-starter for me. As a side note, I was simultaneously trying to search here for precedent to see if $200 was decent or not. Given it's only 2 hours, I'm happy. Otherwise I would have pushed for more.
Last edited by rflor; Mar 14, 2016 at 1:20 pm Reason: Typo
Mar 14, 2016, 1:21 pm
#81
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$200 for confirmed E+ seats and no real impact to your plans, I'd say it's fine. They probably got their volunteers...doubt you missed out on a big airport payday by holding out until you got to the gate.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:37 pm
#82
Join Date: Mar 2010
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I got called once as well, and have to say I didn't like how it was handled. I got a message on my voicemail to please call UA concerning my flight tomorrow. Of course, I'm getting worried it was canceled or something like that, so I call and was on hold for 14 minutes, until reaching someone to find out it was a VDB opportunity.
I wish the voicemail would have been more specific so I don't have to waste my time for something I couldn't do anyway due to timing. I know 14 minutes isn't a super long hold time, but that was MY time. United was getting plenty of it the next day.
I wish the voicemail would have been more specific so I don't have to waste my time for something I couldn't do anyway due to timing. I know 14 minutes isn't a super long hold time, but that was MY time. United was getting plenty of it the next day.
Mar 14, 2016, 1:38 pm
#83
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Then, good on you for getting UA to double their initial pittance offering! I'd have agreed to that too.
Mar 14, 2016, 2:26 pm
#84
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UA does this when they have a fairly massive overbooking and pretty much know that they face oversale. They know that they can get people to move for relatively little because there's no delay at the airport.
The agent discretion tends to be limited because UA knows that if it can't deal with the issue in advance, there is still check-in and the gate before an IDB problem arises. That's when the big offers come in, but it's not likely to happen because it's a reverse auction and someone else will have grabbed it.
The agent discretion tends to be limited because UA knows that if it can't deal with the issue in advance, there is still check-in and the gate before an IDB problem arises. That's when the big offers come in, but it's not likely to happen because it's a reverse auction and someone else will have grabbed it.
Mar 14, 2016, 2:28 pm
#85
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Better data analytics *usually* mitigates the need for massive travel vouchers. I remember the glory days when AA would overbook a 727 by 30 people. They'd end up needing 15 volunteers...and they'd roll them right onto the next 727 overbooked by 30 people 2-3 hours later. It would rain $500-750 vouchers all day at ORD...
Mar 14, 2016, 2:39 pm
#86
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OP, the $200/person offer was reasonable. On gate, it is a totally different ball game. GA sometimes starts offering $300 for an hour UAX hop, but no one takes the initial offer. GA then raises the offer to get some volunteers ($400 in my latest encounters; But I did not take it). Happy travels.
Mar 14, 2016, 3:53 pm
#87
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At the airport, they may have to pay a premium because you're literally inconvenienced by X hours. Worst case, you're killing time in the terminal. Best case, you have United Club access and are downing cheap liquor and Costco hummus while you sit on some ragged chair with a loose power outlet that can barely charge your phone for 2 hours. Taking an advance VDB, there's much less inconvenience, since you just leave your house 2 hours later or whatever.
Mar 14, 2016, 4:06 pm
#88
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Mar 14, 2016, 6:20 pm
#89
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Several times for me too. Accepted once when was no biggie for arrival day activities.
Mar 14, 2016, 7:04 pm
#90
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UA's UC's are in need of some major improvements.$200 per person was a great deal. I would have hopped on that offer any day as long as I am not at the airport.