Anyone with experience in UAL bumps to Hawaii?

[dougp26364]

We have a flight the goes through Chicago to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Several months back when fuel costs were through the roof, UAL consolidated many of their flight to Hawaii, which resulted in our flights being changed three different times. This has also resulted in the flights being relatively full and, the flight we're on out of Chicago isn't allowing seats to be selected but, they're still selling tickets.

What would be the typical offer to bump on a UAL flight that's over 4,000 miles. I have checked and there are later acceptable flights we could bump to at this time. However, I'm not certain I want to even waste my time going up to the podium if all they typically offer is $200 per person. At that price it's not worth the hassle to kill a day hanging out at ORD waiting on a later flight and having to change planes again in either LA, San Francisco or Vegas.

 

[Dave M]

There is no typical amount. If they need one volunteer and they can get you there two hours late, it might be $100. If they need 20 volunteers and they can't get you there until the next day, it might be $600, plus a Chicago hotel room and meals.

Best is to be prepared as to what amount you would accept and then be first to "volunteer". You can back out until they tell you exactly what your compensation will be. Further, even if you accept, you should hang around the gate desk and listen to ensure no one else gets more than you. If they do, you are entitled to the same amount.

 

[linsj]

Dave's right; there's no typical compensation. I've heard GAs offering free tickets (for 48 states only) for bumps.

 

[Dave M]

Yes, United sometimes offers free tickets that come with restrictions similar to Saver FF tickets. No thanks.

 

[dougp26364]

I suspect that we'll just hang in there with our flight and leave it at that. It will sort of depend on two things. 1. does my wife want that 9 hour flight or would she prefer to break it up with another layover and 2. the compensation would have to be reasonably high for us to bite.

While I realize there is no "normal" compensation, at one point in time I could just about count on a minimum of $200 for almost any bump we took with higher amounts for greater inconvenience. I thought there might be a typical starting point for longer flights. To date any "long" flight we've taken hasn't been over booked. So I've never heard the airlines offer anything for bumps.

I'll probably stick my nose in up at the counter to sniff around and see if they're in an overbooking situation and ask what the compenstation might be if we were to offer our seats. A business class upgrade might be enough if they can still get us to HNL the same day. Since we've never been to Hawaii and, since I don't know that we'll ever get back, I really don't want to waste a vacation day in Chicago when I could be on a tropical beach.

 

[davidvel]

Dave's right; there's no typical compensation. I've heard GAs offering free tickets (for 48 states only) for bumps.

Remember that "volunteering" is differnet from being "bumped" (denied boarding of a confirmed reservation.) The term "bumped" refers to being IN-voluntarily denied boarding.

As to volunteering, they can offer a beer and a pizza if someone takes it.

As to actually being "bumped" there are minimum requirements that must be met:

* If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.

* If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $400 maximum.

* If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $800 maximum).

* You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.

source, and of course limitations on the above: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#overbooking

Notable exception: N/A to flights on aircraft that hold under 30 passengers.

 

[BondGuy]

Suggest you enquire when you check in, especially if you have checked luggage. Some airlines have a strong preference for accepting volunteers with no checked luggage. Or, if there is checked luggage, they have to be able to get to it, as airlines don't like to have luggage travel when the passenger doesn't, for security reasons.

Also, get to the gate ASAP and try to be the first to speak to the gate agent. Quite often they are happy to take your name as a 'possible' volunteer; if they actually need volunteers you could be first on the list, but you can still back out when they detail their offer.

Be careful about giving up your boarding card, as sometimes an airline will 'assume' you are giving up your seat and they will assign your seat to another passenger. Then, if it turns out they are NOT oversold, you are given a new boarding card and are back on the airplane, but now the family may be split up and will probably be in less desireable seats.

 

[dougp26364]

We've done voluntary bumped several times over the last few years. I'm aware of the tricks of the trade and have been successful more often than not when airlines were looking for volunteers.

All I really was curious about was if there tended to be a standard opening offer when they start looking for those volunteers. In the past, I could almost alway count on at least $200 per person for openers. The only time it was less ($100) was when the next flight left only 1 hour later and, it was an MD80 rather than the Saab Prop that I was scheduled to fly. Heck, I'd have taken that bump without the $100 voucher.

As I said, for $200 I'll stick with my assigned seat on my original flight. If I can snag business class seats on a later flight but still get in the same day, we'd probably find that acceptable. 9 hours in a couch class seat is a long time so we'd probably be willing to spend a few extra hours in ORD for more leg room and a seat with more recline.

 

[Icarus]

Yes, United sometimes offers free tickets that come with restrictions similar to Saver FF tickets. No thanks.

Actually, they aren't that bad, Dave. They book into V or Q I think. The United DBCFree is much better than most of the other airlines "free ticket" compensation.

Still, the free ticket voucher is useless to me. Some people think otherwise. Yes, they have advance booking requirements, etc.

The VDB voucher compensation on UA is typically based on differences in scheduled arrival times, not departure times. You can look up the thread on FT if you want to know what the standard offer is, but they usually try to push people into the DBC Free ticket voucher. Some stations are adamant about not letting people take vouchers instead of the free ticket.

-David

 

[readyalready]

We were leaving Maui last year in April, days after the HI serving airline quit operating when people were stuck on the island for days. I remember being not very tempted by the voluntary bump offer for the extra night's hassle (ironically they were sending people to the WKORV we had just left), I don't think it was a money amount, just a continental US round trip.

 

[JeffW]

I doubt on a flight to Hawaii "checked baggage" would be a major factor, as I'd expect almost everyone to do it. On shorter flights, business people especially could have an advantage, since they're more likely to jsut have carryon's.

On average I think the going rate tends to be about $100/hr for a delay.

 

[mindy35]

AAARRRGGG we got bumped a different way!!!

AARRRGGG! Why can't they leave well enough alone all ready!

I was organized enough to get up at 1am to snag 2 FF seats SFO-OGG 360 days prior (last March!). 5 of us flying together, 3 paid, 2 free, 5 different itineraries. I was checking the status of our upgrade request 1 month prior to departure and noticed that the return leg of the 2 free flights (2 kids) has been bumped to a connecting overnight flight!!!

How can they do that???? And No phone call alert, no email of schedule change!! I stumbled on this by accident! I had even purchased the 5th ticket only 1 month ago so they were still selling seats as late as then.

I've been on the phone with India for an hour already! They say there are no open seats available on that original flight. What options do I have that don't include shortening or lengthening my stay???

 

[clsmit]

If the kids are under the age the airline lets them fly alone (16 or whatever it is) tell them they have to fly with the adults since they are underage. That might get them to move some seat around, especially if you're trying to get an upgrade.

 

[lily28]

My family was on an UAL flight from chicago 9:25 am to LAX to Maui on 12/3/08. UAL has oversold the flight to LAX and asked for many volunteer in return for a free trip w/in the US. the next flight out to lax was 10:30am. after that was gone, the next flight was 1 pm. many people took the offers. I was very tempted but decided against it since we were travelling with a 3 yr old and the next flight out to maui for lax was 3 hours later at 4 pm.

 

[riverside]

About 6 years ago we were offered a bump while on our way to Hawaii. They couldn't get anyone to volunteer until they offered $1200 vouchers each. The problem was that we had gotten bumped into first class from a previous flight that was cancelled. It was our first trip to Hawaii and we had our teenage boys with us who didn't want to give up their first class seats. Plus this was supposed to be a "trip of a lifetime" with the family and we didn't want to give up a day. We ended up not liking Hawaii that much and to this day I regret giving up $$ that would have paid for tickets to Tahiti...my dream vacation! I've never heard an offer like that again.

 

[mindy35]

I've never heard an offer like that again.

The airlines now have guidelines to which they adhere regarding $$ compensation for each particular route. It's part of their "Contract of Carriage." Here is United's for ex.:

http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/S*UAL/DENIED-VDB

I think the days of escalating VDB $$ offers are gone so no, you will not see that again. Now, when they don't get enough volunteers, they just deny boarding or physically remove ticketed passengers based on FF status, gate arrival time, fare paid and other arbitrary criteria.

 

[dougp26364]

Now isn't that special. I guess if they control their bookings well enough as to not run into frequent overbooking situations, having set guidelines to go by eliminates those that like to bargain for benefits.

As it turned out in our case, UAL wasn't showing seats available but, they had several empty seats available (for an upgrade fee) in their economy plus section. So, rather than take an 8 hour flight sitting in the middle section I paid the upgrade fee of $69 per person for a window and aisle seat plus 5 inches more legroom. Turned out to be a decent move for us as we sat on the tarmac at ORD for approx. 2 hours with a snow delay. How long we were out there I really can't say for certain. I know we were scheduled to leave at 10:18 and, they started boarding at the time printed on our boarding pass. I know that when I looked at my wife's watch when we took off, it was approx. 12:15 when the wheels of the plane left the ground. I believe the air time was around 7 hours so, 9 hours in the middle seats in economy wouldn't have been a great thing for us.

Now all we have to do is get through ORD one more time on the way home. I'm not looking forward to coming home to the snow and the cold but, if I don't work, I can't pay to vacation so, I guess it's back to the salt mines until we're ready for our next trip in March.