wcj1

Probably not. Things change. Maybe it was only oversold by one and then someone did a SDC off the flight.

rxgeek

Be a good time to mention to ask for cash instead of a voucher and compare the value.

jsloan

If they did, it was against policy. UA has a lot of oversold flights, but the examples on this board of a proactive phone call are usually "that happened to me once."

Exactly. Or somebody was late to the airport, or -- given that the OP was talking about an ex-IAH flight -- maybe somebody misconnected.

OP: I've had that message appear during airport check-in, walked to the gate, and found that they weren't oversold. I don't think there were any shenanigans here; the message says the flight "may be oversold," and that's all that it means. They won't really know for sure until check-in closes.

The worst was when I had a great GA who was willing to wait for a couple of late connectors at DEN. Per UA policy, she could have offloaded them and not given any compensation -- my outbound flight was slightly delayed, and it was already past T-15 -- but she said that she'd rather take volunteers than disrupt someone's travel plans unnecessarily. So, we waited and waited -- she even went down the jetbridge to see how the boarding process was going and how much longer she could wait before it would cause a delay -- but the late connectors didn't show. A $400 ETC disappeared because somebody didn't hustle.

ntr91

I got this message at OLCI for two recent flights, both showing Y0 at check-in time. The first flight waved me off at the gate, as the oversell resolved itself. The second flight mentioned that, since I gave them the volunteer forms they ask you to print out, I'd be first in line for any bump offer. Ended up boarding anyway right before the door closed, so the point was moot.

haddon90

no difference. they offer certificates now. there is no free voucher/cash option.

docbert

United overbook because they know people won't show. They will either change their plans, miss their flight, mis-connect, get caught in the weather delays on the west coast, etc. The vast majority of times a flight is overbook they do NOT end up needing volunteers.

The only time they are even going to consider doing something proactive is due to something major - a major down-gauge, etc. For a flight thats overbooked by 5-10 people they aren't even going to consider doing anything in advance of the flight as they know people won't make it.

I've had flights where they were at least about 5 overbooked, and we went out with ~10 people clearing on the standby list and still had empty seats!

iapetus

I, for one, appreciate this thread. I have never been sure if the offer at OLCI is binding and, consequently, have always turned it down. (I'm not really in the habit of going the VDB route.) I will reconsider in the future.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Agreed!!! This is an awesome thread that takes away the fear of doing something you thought you might later regret. There are many things presented to you in the app and sometimes the kiosk where you wonder, is it "safe" to click on this? Am I just uncovering options or committing myself to something?

If this isn't already in the WIKI, it should be. Actually, there should be a WIKI section that details just what I mentioned previously- things you can do when checking in (at KIOSK or APP) that are "safe". At what point can you back out.

Thanks again for a great thread!!!

raehl311

I don't even bother with the message - if I'm willing to bump, I just talk to the gate agent as soon as practical. I feel like in most cases a GA would rather deal with someone they know is right in front of them than have to find someone who is just a name on a list. They can also give you a feeling as to how likely a bump is to happen, sometimes the automated systems seem to be extra cautious.

MY-OTHER-BROTHER-"TED"

This may NOT be quite true. As far as I know, the volunteer list is set up automatically in advance and prior to the g/a knowing for sure how many are needed, and this list seems to have a pecking order of status and/or time checking in/agreeing to volunteer.

For example, last month doing a MR to BOS and back, I arrived at the BOS-ORD gate just about the time of "Last Call", due to a late arriving plane that I was on. About 12 people were clamoring the podium. I noticed that my name was #1, and when I approached I asked if they were going to need a volunteer? Answer, "Yes, if you are Ted's Other Brother"!

$600.00 voucher and F/C - 1 hour later via IAH!

Schmoozing may work occasionally, but not if I'm on the short end of the stick. Trying to jump the line is the same as attempting to grab the last upgrade when not #1 on the list, IMO.

WineCountryUA

but as likely in your case status counts for more. But if you are going to show up at the last minute, probably is best to do the early indication.

slickvik

Thanks everyone for th compliments about the thread I'm glad it was of use to someone. In the future I'll always mark yes. Worst case it doesn't help best case maybe I get a call that gets me a voucher ahead of time

Darlox

Seen on Bloomberg this morning:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...for-more-money

If this executes as-described, that should pretty much put an end to high-dollar bump compensation at the gate, except in cases of severe IRROPs.

Duke787

Smart though the $250 cap seems low and cheap.

Issue will be with once a day flights and it will be critical for the technology to execute properly (aka doesn't downgrade passenger if it promised no downgrade)

exwannabe

It says "keep your seat preference". That is a very vague term, I would be worried I would go from an aisle in an exit row, to next to the rear restroom.

Ideally it would allow one to select the seat as part of the process. If you do not see a seat you like, the re-book does not happen. But the way they describe it, can not work that way. You make the offer, and the re-book may happen up to 24 hours later.