Jan 3, 2018, 12:29 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Previous thread -
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2017]
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2016]
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2015]
Related thread - Is this IDB? Am I entitled to IDB compensation? [Consolidated]
VDB -- Voluntary Denied Boarding -- is when the flight is overbooked and the airline is looking for volunteers to change their travel plans. It is voluntary and you do not need to participate. The compensation is 100% negotiable. It could be $100's in future travel vouchers, it might be food vouchers, a different routing (perhaps more direct or for MR's more indirect
), perhaps lodging if overnight and sometimes a bump in cabin. It all depends on how desperate the airline is and how flexible you are.
The standard UA policy is after you have agreed to a voucher amount and additional VDBs are still needed, if those passengers get a higher amount, you will also get the higher amount.
The are no DoT requirement for VDB compensation, it is whatever you and the airline agree to. The DoT does require the airline to try VDB before moving to IDB.
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2017]
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2016]
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump on UA [2015]
Related thread - Is this IDB? Am I entitled to IDB compensation? [Consolidated]
VDB -- Voluntary Denied Boarding -- is when the flight is overbooked and the airline is looking for volunteers to change their travel plans. It is voluntary and you do not need to participate. The compensation is 100% negotiable. It could be $100's in future travel vouchers, it might be food vouchers, a different routing (perhaps more direct or for MR's more indirect
), perhaps lodging if overnight and sometimes a bump in cabin. It all depends on how desperate the airline is and how flexible you are.The standard UA policy is after you have agreed to a voucher amount and additional VDBs are still needed, if those passengers get a higher amount, you will also get the higher amount.
The are no DoT requirement for VDB compensation, it is whatever you and the airline agree to. The DoT does require the airline to try VDB before moving to IDB.
The changing story of IDB on UA since the merge and post-Dao
source: BTS Data
source: BTS Data
Code:
IDB/VDB data for UA (w/o UX) 1st Qtr Year VDB IDB 2018 8,214 27 2017 15,917 900 2016 14,380 929 2015 17,373 1,817 2014 21,469 4,395 2013 14,095 2,592 IDB/VDB data for UA (w/ UX) 1st Qtr Year VDB IDB 2018 16,973 51
Voluntary Denied Boarding - VDB/Bump Experiences on UA [2018]
Jan 16, 2018, 11:22 am
#31
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Moreso from the air travel perspective and the long layover in MEX. WIth that said, the late night IAH-QRO did cancel (but AA didn't cancel DFW-QRO), so I wouldn't have been able to get to QRO on United Airlines today. I do think it was a bit of a lowball as well. But like a lot of other people, I'm a sucker for vouchers.
Jan 16, 2018, 11:30 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ORD
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6:57AM LAS-ORD flight last Friday (same flight I posted on the longest upgrade list thread). They were looking for 3 volunteers. Offered $1,000 and either 1 seat on the 10:40AM flight or 2 seats on the 2:20PM flight. Got one volunteer, and the agents were quietly discussing bumping it to $2,000 (I was standing right by the gate desk). I would've jumped if they went to $2,000, but they boarded the plane without further announcements. Must've been a couple of last second no-shows (unsurprising for Vegas, especially during CES week).
Jan 16, 2018, 12:57 pm
#33
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Jan 16, 2018, 3:26 pm
#34
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: UA
Posts: 1,098
Moreso from the air travel perspective and the long layover in MEX. WIth that said, the late night IAH-QRO did cancel (but AA didn't cancel DFW-QRO), so I wouldn't have been able to get to QRO on United Airlines today. I do think it was a bit of a lowball as well. But like a lot of other people, I'm a sucker for vouchers.
Jan 17, 2018, 10:19 am
#35
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PWM
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 1,335
Alternatives?
For the first time ever, I think I regret vdb’ing.
due to the weather waiver in iah I was able to reroute sfo-ewr-iah-qro, in business.
so business from sfo-ewr-iah-qro to biz sfo-mex and economy mex-qro, $500, and a $20 food voucher that I don’t even know if it works in Mexico’s t2.
due to the weather waiver in iah I was able to reroute sfo-ewr-iah-qro, in business.
so business from sfo-ewr-iah-qro to biz sfo-mex and economy mex-qro, $500, and a $20 food voucher that I don’t even know if it works in Mexico’s t2.
Whenever there's even a remote possibility for VDB I look up 2-3 acceptable alternatives before I get to the airport. Did you do this?
Jan 17, 2018, 10:51 am
#36
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For the first time ever, I think I regret vdb’ing.
due to the weather waiver in iah I was able to reroute sfo-ewr-iah-qro, in business. I was in paid business class and it was going to be my first time trying a domestic premium product. They announced they needed a volunteer for the 1040pm redeye starting at 500 and a hotel. I jumped on it since I was going to have a 1hour layover in iah anyways due to flight cancellations today to queretaro.
at the very end, they let me board, then came running back down to grab me because they did need me. I was rerouted sfo-mex-qro, mex-qro on Aeromexico. I had to fight for compensation because they said I was getting in four hours earlier.
i said I would only volunteer my seat for compensation, since J in a 772 overnight to a 4 hour a320 flight is a pretty big downgrade, and a 10 hour layover in Mexico City now.
I tried to ask for more since Ua wouldn’t need to get a hotel, but they wouldn’t budge, and I think we’re frustrated at me to begin with since I was still going for compensation despite getting in earlier.
so business from sfo-ewr-iah-qro to biz sfo-mex and economy mex-qro, $500, and a $20 food voucher that I don’t even know if it works in Mexico’s t2.
I Would think needing a biz class seat for a premium route would go for at least 1k. I now have 8 hours to kill in mex, and kind of regret doing this. I could really use the voucher though.
i guess the silver lining is not laying over in Newark and Houston? And Maybe I will have avoided more
due to the weather waiver in iah I was able to reroute sfo-ewr-iah-qro, in business. I was in paid business class and it was going to be my first time trying a domestic premium product. They announced they needed a volunteer for the 1040pm redeye starting at 500 and a hotel. I jumped on it since I was going to have a 1hour layover in iah anyways due to flight cancellations today to queretaro.
at the very end, they let me board, then came running back down to grab me because they did need me. I was rerouted sfo-mex-qro, mex-qro on Aeromexico. I had to fight for compensation because they said I was getting in four hours earlier.
i said I would only volunteer my seat for compensation, since J in a 772 overnight to a 4 hour a320 flight is a pretty big downgrade, and a 10 hour layover in Mexico City now.
I tried to ask for more since Ua wouldn’t need to get a hotel, but they wouldn’t budge, and I think we’re frustrated at me to begin with since I was still going for compensation despite getting in earlier.
so business from sfo-ewr-iah-qro to biz sfo-mex and economy mex-qro, $500, and a $20 food voucher that I don’t even know if it works in Mexico’s t2.
I Would think needing a biz class seat for a premium route would go for at least 1k. I now have 8 hours to kill in mex, and kind of regret doing this. I could really use the voucher though.
i guess the silver lining is not laying over in Newark and Houston? And Maybe I will have avoided more
Houston weather problems.
Unless there's an expiration date, you can use the food voucher next time out of SFO.
Jan 17, 2018, 11:10 am
#37
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Incidentally, refusing to adjust the comp makes sense to me -- the voucher is the incentive; the hotel and meal vouchers are part of providing care. When there's more than one VDB, UA gives the same voucher to everyone, regardless of who needs a hotel. The benefit of not requesting a hotel is that you'll jump over anybody on the volunteer list who does need a hotel.
Also, whenever I'm seated in F and I volunteer, it's under the assumption that I'm not getting anything extra for volunteering an F seat. (Barring the very rare front-cabin oversell, anyway, in which case a Y volunteer wouldn't be useful). They're just going to have to move somebody into it anyway. If the $500 wasn't sufficient, the time to make that determination was before volunteering.
Jan 18, 2018, 10:31 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PWM
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 1,335
Also, whenever I'm seated in F and I volunteer, it's under the assumption that I'm not getting anything extra for volunteering an F seat. (Barring the very rare front-cabin oversell, anyway, in which case a Y volunteer wouldn't be useful). They're just going to have to move somebody into it anyway. If the $500 wasn't sufficient, the time to make that determination was before volunteering.
I didn’t catch the orig negotiated routing. Was there one OP?
As you say, OP could have caused a fuss but they didn’t have much to bargain with after leaving the plane.
Jan 18, 2018, 3:54 pm
#39
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: DTW/MBS
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It was just moreso at first they said they couldn’t negotiate because they weren’t sure if they would need me.
Afterr they pulled me back and needed me they wouldn’t budge and seemed a bit irritated with me. I had asked for an extra $100 since ua wouldn’t have to provide a hotel, but they said they couldnt negotiate. Not much I can do at that point. I could have said not interested anymore once I was on the jetway, and I bet they would have flipped.
I don’t have a business travel policy from work so I only fly J out of my own pocket, and usually can’t afford PS service. So losing that (was free due to weather reroute originally) hurt, since I’m an avgeek as well.
I have another opportunity tomorrow. UA557 downgagued from a lie flat 777 to a domestic 777 (lame). Business was at 49/50 now there’s only 30 seats. I got an email asking to call if I’m flexible, and there’s a great alternative but they wouldn’t give me a travel voucher, so I passed.
That’s ~20 business seats they’re gonna need for the time being.
Afterr they pulled me back and needed me they wouldn’t budge and seemed a bit irritated with me. I had asked for an extra $100 since ua wouldn’t have to provide a hotel, but they said they couldnt negotiate. Not much I can do at that point. I could have said not interested anymore once I was on the jetway, and I bet they would have flipped.
I don’t have a business travel policy from work so I only fly J out of my own pocket, and usually can’t afford PS service. So losing that (was free due to weather reroute originally) hurt, since I’m an avgeek as well.
I have another opportunity tomorrow. UA557 downgagued from a lie flat 777 to a domestic 777 (lame). Business was at 49/50 now there’s only 30 seats. I got an email asking to call if I’m flexible, and there’s a great alternative but they wouldn’t give me a travel voucher, so I passed.
That’s ~20 business seats they’re gonna need for the time being.
Last edited by BThumme; Jan 18, 2018 at 4:12 pm
Jan 18, 2018, 5:17 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Jan 18, 2018, 5:19 pm
#41
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Jan 19, 2018, 8:22 am
#42
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Posts: 3,525
As a follow up, ua 557 is over by 12 in business currently. They are desperate. Asking people for $1000 and to sit in coach.
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
Double edit: they also said the entertainment isn’t functioning on this flight...yikes
Triple edit: confirmed for me! $1500 and get in 5 hours earlier.If Ua would have just given me $500 when I called yesterday to volunteer it would have saved them some money.
Last edited by BThumme; Jan 19, 2018 at 8:31 am
Jan 19, 2018, 8:57 am
#43
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Jan 19, 2018, 10:04 am
#44
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As a follow up, ua 557 is over by 12 in business currently. They are desperate. Asking people for $1000 and to sit in coach.
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
Double edit: they also said the entertainment isn’t functioning on this flight...yikes
Triple edit: confirmed for me! $1500 and get in 5 hours earlier.If Ua would have just given me $500 when I called yesterday to volunteer it would have saved them some money.
I am now 10 months without a VDB .... and have flown more miles in that 10 month period than any other.... ever.
Edit: Don't forget ORC!!!!!!!
Jan 19, 2018, 11:59 am
#45
Join Date: Apr 2009
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As a follow up, ua 557 is over by 12 in business currently. They are desperate. Asking people for $1000 and to sit in coach.
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
went right up and it looks like I’m getting $1000 and a nonstop to Detroit.
edit now 1500
Double edit: they also said the entertainment isn’t functioning on this flight...yikes
Triple edit: confirmed for me! $1500 and get in 5 hours earlier.If Ua would have just given me $500 when I called yesterday to volunteer it would have saved them some money.
