Voluntary and Involuntary Denied Boarding

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SN30952
Posts: 7128
Joined: 31 Jul 2003, 00:00

Re: Voluntary and Involuntary Denied Boarding

Post by SN30952 »

netcalix wrote:Has anybody here ever volunteered to get off a flight and got a free ticket? or involuntarily denied boarding due to no volunteers or because they closed the doors on you?
Yes I did. In Chicago with American Airlines.
For some reason they changed gauges and then they had too many passengers or not enough seats....
I volunteered immediately under the following conditions:
- a firm booking on the same flight non stop into BRU the next day.
- a full board hotel accommodation with office facilities
- courtesy hotel transportation (btw the hotel offered a city tour, which I did not take - I suppose they preferred having the clients out of the hotel and away from the buffet and drinks?)
- and last but not least a voucher for 1000USD to travel on AA lines.

Since I was the first to volunteer the supervisor was quick to grant all this, as he was not interested having more passengers bargaining their firm reservation that high. My colleague and I got immediately what we suggested. And the next day we talked with other volunteers, but they did not get what we got.
So my advise: if you decide to volunteer do it immediately and bargain high, talk loud, so the next volunteers hear what you say, supervisors do not like that and get you asap out the line, fearing you could contaminate the queue

skyvanman
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Joined: 21 Feb 2005, 00:00

Post by skyvanman »

I have been in two of those situations. For one of them it was on Reno-Air and I ended up getting a flight 30 minutes later (this was the involuntary one) in First Class. I also was denied boarding on Quantas. They closed the gate before I could get in. We were transferring from the International to the Domestic Terminal at Sydney and the stupid bus driver circled twice before stopping at the international terminal, so when we go to the flight, our seats were gone and we couldn't get on. It was really a bad experience. This is one reason I would never want to be a gate agent.

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sn26567
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Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
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Post by sn26567 »

Got bumped by Virgin Express on a business trip from BRU to BCN in business class (the first two rows were than allocated to SN Brussels business pax, as the flight was codeshared). I was on time at the airport, but for some reason (I guess a passenger with problems) the C-class queue was rather long and when it was my turn the seat was gone.

The EU rules were not yet in effect, and I only got a C seat on the next flight two hours later, a breakfast voucher and 2 telephone calls.
André
ex Sabena #26567

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Knight255
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Location: Daytona Beach, USA

Post by Knight255 »

- a firm booking on the same flight non stop into BRU the next day.
- a full board hotel accommodation with office facilities
- courtesy hotel transportation (btw the hotel offered a city tour, which I did not take - I suppose they preferred having the clients out of the hotel and away from the buffet and drinks?)
- and last but not least a voucher for 1000USD to travel on AA lines.
American gave you all that?! 8O No wonder they're in financial troubles!!! :?
"What's this button do?? I don't know, push it and find out................."

SN30952
Posts: 7128
Joined: 31 Jul 2003, 00:00

Post by SN30952 »

Knight255 wrote:
- a firm booking on the same flight non stop into BRU the next day.
- a full board hotel accommodation with office facilities
- courtesy hotel transportation (btw the hotel offered a city tour, which I did not take - I suppose they preferred having the clients out of the hotel and away from the buffet and drinks?)
- and last but not least a voucher for 1000USD to travel on AA lines.

American gave you all that?! 8O No wonder they're in financial troubles!!! :?

Yes to me and one colleague. And I forgot the phone calls to Belgium each.
I remember the menu of the dinner in the hotel: beautiful grilled steaks with fries & mixed salad (the waiter joked saying maybe you have better fries in Belgium, but the steaks in CHI are top - he got it right) there was a choice of wine with it. The next day we worked in the business centre, and we mailed our reports home. That too was included in the deal. Everybody was satisfied.

I guess airlines are very embarrassed when volunteers start immediately with high bargaining, particularly when they talk in a way more people who are needed to volunteer, can hear the demands. But I have experience in this: I have also seen the procedure deteriorating, and the airline staff getting rather rude. But usually it is more efficient to get demanding passengers out the queue, to to incur a delay on the whole aircraft. But when getting very demanding, the volunteer has to reckon with the fact that the airline might find less demanding volunteers, and leave the very demanding unanswered. But what's the risk, he will fly as programmed.

I feel the airlines react as hypocritics about the european rules: now there is a tariff, the airlines can show. And there is no bargaining no longer. They just can take victims, as the rules protect the airlines as much as the passengers.

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