Strategies On Getting "Bumped" From A Flight

By Mike Grasso

In the industry it is called an oversell and to flexible consumers, it can result in free travel.

Denied boarding, known as getting "bumped" from a flight, often occurs when an airline made more reservations than seats available - a sometimes controversial business practice that predicts some passengers will not show up for their originally scheduled flight. But when predictions are wrong and everyone does show up for the flight, the airline must bump some passengers holding confirmed reservations; voluntarily (probably going to make people happy), or involuntarily (probably going to upset people).

Here's how it works: Take for example a United flight between San Francisco and Denver on an Airbus 320. The flight has a capacity of 138 passengers, but based on several factors, the airline decides to oversell by 6% - allowing the airline to sell up to 146 seats. The airline is predicting that those 6% of customers will for whatever reason (missed connections, delays through airport security, etc) will not make their flight. When it comes departure time, any number greater than 138 (total seats) results in an oversell, and the "bumping" process begins.

Airlines will first ask for volunteers (this is you!) to give up their seats. In return, airlines will generally offer a free round-trip ticket within the continental U.S, or a voucher between $200-$400 valid for future travel, in addition to putting you on the next available flight. Situationally, amenities such as higher compensation, food vouchers, hotel stays, and first class upgrades can be negotiated. Sounds great, doesn't it? But, absent willing volunteers (where are you?) the airline will begin to involuntarily deny boarding to some unlucky passengers. It is for this reason, the practice of overselling flights is frowned on by some.

Let's stick with you graciously volunteering to give up your seat. Here are some tips:

1. Overselling the flight does not mean the airline will need volunteers. And just because they ask for volunteers doesn't mean they will end up needing them. Most of the time, the determination of whether volunteers will be needed and/or utilized is decided at the gate.

2. Assume you are not the lone volunteer. If the gate agent announces they are looking for volunteers, walk (run) yourself to the podium to ensure your volunteer status is noted.

3. If you have information that your flight might be oversold (methods on how to do this previously discussed on inFLIGHTout) you can be proactive and inform the gate agent you are available, if needed.

4. Don't be "gate lice." Oversold flights are extra work for already fatigued gate agents. They don't need passengers constantly nagging them about their volunteer status. Once you've identified yourself as a volunteer, remain in the gate area for updates.

5. Know your tolerance for "pain". Are you OK being separated from your checked luggage? If you do accept a bump, it's likely your bag(s) will stay on the original flight. Are you OK if the next available flight out is several hours later? What if only a middle seat is available on the next flight out? If you volunteer, and after everyone else boards the plane the airline determines they don't need to bump you, how would you feel about not having overhead bin space? These situations should be carefully evaluated before you commit yourself as a volunteer.

6. Be flexible and be smart. Gate agents will want to route you to your final destination as quickly as possible. But sometimes they need to be reminded of easy alternatives. If you are trying to fly back to San Francisco, ask if a later flight is available into Oakland or San Jose. If there are no good flight options, ask if they can accommodate you on a partner airline (ie: United/U.S Air). If you are in a particularly nice destination such as Hawai'i and you are flexible with travel dates, ask to fly out the next day.

So how can you predict which flights are more likely to need volunteers? You really can't. Friday, Sunday and Holidays are busy travel dates and thus would, at least theoretically, result in more bumps. To narrow it down further to particular flights or routes would seem pointless since the airlines would quickly identify these by all the previous bumps, and adjust future overselling downward.

Finally, besides oversells, there are other instances when volunteers might be needed. Weight restrictions hugely impact smaller aircraft, such as those that seat less than 50 passengers. Too many checked bags and/or other cargo could limit the number of passengers allowed on. Also the occasional last minute plane swaps, a larger plane for a smaller one, often mean dozens of people will need to give up their seat.

Reader Question: Should I Be Concerned About My Flight Being Oversold?

Q: I booked a trip to the East Coast for Spring Break and the phone agent said it was a really fully flight with only middle seats open. Should I be concerned about the flight becoming oversold? –Sarah in Los Gatos

Overbooking flights is a business practice in which a company sells more of a product than what is on hand. In the airline industry, that means selling more seats on a flight than physically available. There are many reasons why airlines do this, but the bottom line is not everyone is able to keep their original reservation thereby freeing up seats. Using historical records of past flights, the airline forecasts roughly how many people they can oversell a flight, knowing that an equivalent number will not show up. In a perfect world, the two balance each other out and flights leave 100% of capacity. Often this doesn't happen and the plane either leaves less than full, or the gate agent asks for volunteers to surrender their seat in exchange for compensation.

If you don’t like the concept of overbooking, try JetBlue or Virgin America, two airlines who reportedly do not oversell their flights. But even the airlines that do oversell, rarely does it involuntarily disrupt regular travelers who are intent on arriving at their destination – without delay. In the rare instance an airline is unable to find volunteers for a flight, only then does the airline involuntarily deny boarding to one or more unlucky folks. This latter scenario automatically gets reported to the federal government, who tracks the frequency airlines involuntarily disrupt travelers confirmed itineraries, to ensure they remain a relatively rare event.

Mileage Runs: Who and Why?

By Mike Grasso

Imagine yourself crawling out of bed at five in the morning to catch a 7 AM trans-continental flight, arriving on the East coast with just minutes to spare before you make the trek back home. At its simplest form, this is a mileage run. Although likely fatigued from the all day journey, tomorrow will be better, particularly since you earned a whopping 6000 miles (or more) for your efforts.

The rules are simple: Fly as far away as you can, for the least possible amount of money. It makes no difference whether you embark off to Sarasota, Florida or Hilton Head, North Carolina, because a true mileage run means you will probably never leave the airport of your arrival city. Just enough time to visit the airport facilities and enjoy a fresh cup o' joe, before boarding begins for your return flight home.

A complicated question asked so many times of me: Why? Why do people do this?

Some view it as a necessity. Frequent travelers who find themselves just a few thousand miles short of maintaining their elite status need to find a way to earn some quick elite-qualifying miles before year end. A mileage run is perfect for them. A simple flight from point A to point B and back allows one to fancy their elite status for yet another year. The banking of useable miles, the ones used to redeem for free award travel, may be less of a priority for this type of mileage runner.

Some regard mileage runs as an opportunity to visit cities while creatively building off-the-beat routings, maximizing mileage potential. For example, San Francisco to Washington D.C is available non-stop, earning 4,820 miles round-trip. Instead, consider San Francisco to Seattle, to Washington D.C, earning 5,956 miles round-trip. For the clever and so-inspired, you could add stops in two other cities enrute to D.C, without adding a substantial cost, to accrue even more miles. These types of mileage runners seek to bank as many useable miles in their frequent flier account, enabling them to redeem for more frequent free trips in the future. (It's important to note that since the focus of the trip is to visit the city - meaning a stay of 1 or more nights is involved, some in the industry do not consider this a true mileage run.)

Finally, a smaller group of travelers view mileage runs as a sort of hobby, sometimes spending hours composing an exciting itnerary that includes four stops - in each direction, including visits to small regional airports that most would simply fly over. These extended mileage runs last upwards of 24 hours, and often include a red-eye flight. The exaustive journey yields huge mileage payouts, and provides avid travelers a chance to see parts of the country - at least the airports, they might not otherwise fly to. Some find themselves volunteering-for compensation on oversold segments, esentially paying for the cost of the mileage run.

But let's face it, if you have an aversion to flying, mileage runs are no friend of yours. But, if you find yourself a bit short of a status level (December 31st is the last day to accrue miles for next year's status), or you want to try your own mileage run, I highly recommend visiting the Flyertalk Mileage Run Forum (it's where I started many years ago), where a community of like-minded flyers can offer expert advice and recommendations on putting together a run that works for you.

Denied Boarding Compensation going up to $800

Starting next month, if you are involuntarily denied boarding on a U.S-based carrier, the airline must pay you up to $800 for the inconvenience. You can thank the Department of Transportation for following through with their commitment to improve the passenger flying experience.

How it works: You have a confirmed reservation, but the flight is oversold. The airline will ask for volunteers to be "bumped." If too few people volunteer, the airline is forced to involuntarily deny boarding to selected passengers, often those who check-in late or without seat assignments.

Under previous rules, the airlines would pay $200 for many involuntary denied boardings, and $400 if you arrived more than 4 hours later than your originally scheduled time. This compensation hasn't been revised since 1978. But starting in May, these payouts double!