Bumped off oversold flight as a WP

[torks]

Having seen from experience on these high frequency routes in Europe, the airlines will just organise cascading delays and delay 4 or 5 flights so that everyone is delayed and no compensation owed as opposed to delaying flight 1, and paying compensation to one flight and having the rest of the flights on time.

A lot more people inconvenienced just to avoid paying out.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Having seen from experience on these high frequency routes in Europe, the airlines will just organise cascading delays and delay 4 or 5 flights so that everyone is delayed and no compensation owed as opposed to delaying flight 1, and paying compensation to one flight and having the rest of the flights on time.

A lot more people inconvenienced just to avoid paying out.

That may be but realize for the purposes of EU261 what matters is when you make it to your final destination. If it’s more than 3 hours later compensation is owed. So sure they can try doing cascading delays but if that results in you missing your connecting flight they’re still on the hook for compensation

 

[jb747]

Make yourself a YPTA, then you’ll be pretty safe from anything.

 

[RichardMEL]

Make yourself a YPTA, then you’ll be pretty safe from anything.

But sir, I may look 44 years old but I really am 14. Really.... i am an old soul...

UM lanyards for all!

 

[sudoer]

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[Aussie_flyer]

That may be but realize for the purposes of EU261 what matters is when you make it to your final destination. If it’s more than 3 hours later compensation is owed. So sure they can try doing cascading delays but if that results in you missing your connecting flight they’re still on the hook for compensation

Have you actually tried to make a claim on EU261? The airlines literally just make up things to say it was out of their control and won't pay. It's not as easy as it seems to just be paid out.

 

[david79]

Have you actually tried to make a claim on EU261? The airlines literally just make up things to say it was out of their control and won't pay. It's not as easy as it seems to just be paid out.

At least in the UK its easy and cheap to lodge a claim in small claims court and it'll quickly be sorted.

(and there are other industry specific arbiters one can use too but why mess around, just go to court)

(BA is known to not even show up so not only guilty but they pay costs too!)

 

[Rangalad]

But sir, I may look 44 years old but I really am 14. Really.... i am an old soul...

UM lanyards for all!

I now identify as a 9 year old.

 

[tdimdad]

With the OP, would the check-in sequence number had any relevance in this? Would an airline process the rescheduling in the order of connections, status, sequence#, or what might be the combination of factors to determine who do they place on earlier flights or process first in the long queue of 300+ pax?

 

[ausfox]

Recently waiting to board a flight Dallas to Vancouver. American Airlines had overbooked, admitted it over the PA and were offering a USD1000 voucher per passenger who would volunteer for a later fight. Makes local overloading incentives look miserable.

 

[RichardMEL]

Recently waiting to board a flight Dallas to Vancouver. American Airlines had overbooked, admitted it over the PA and were offering a USD1000 voucher per passenger who would volunteer for a later fight. Makes local overloading incentives look miserable.

It was not a case of overbooking though (imo)

 

[SeatBackForward]

With the OP, would the check-in sequence number had any relevance in this?

OP hadn't checked in yet, they were shifted onto a later flight before even checking in.

 

[drron]

I think it all comes down to the group size. Much easier to bump a group of 3 or more on the 1 PNR than 3 or more singles.
So early online check in seems the most likely to stop this but I doubt infallible.

 

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[dajop]

Recently waiting to board a flight Dallas to Vancouver. American Airlines had overbooked, admitted it over the PA and were offering a USD1000 voucher per passenger who would volunteer for a later fight. Makes local overloading incentives look miserable.

They wouldn't need to offer USD1000 if the "later" flight was 30 mins later, Often these sorts of offers are for accepting flights that are hours and hours later. I can't think of any routes in the US where a single carrier offers 15-30min frequencies, thus completely different scenarios.

 

[dajop]

In the case of EU261 compensation would be owed due to overbooking. How long you were delayed doesn’t play a factor into determining whether this entitlement needs to be provided by the airline. You could be delayed by 30 minutes but they’d still have to pay up, up to €600 fine for the harm they caused. A similar thing is true in Canada although the compensation is far more generous at $2,400 CAD.

The message is clear: if you want to bump passengers off, fine but it’ll cost you. This notion that you have a bundle of rights simply doesn’t exist over there.

An interesting hypothetical, with MEL/SYD frequencies it's not hard to envisage someone being bumped off their original flight and moved to a flight 15 mins later that arrives earlier than the flight they were bumped from!

I think the airlines would lobby the government hard such that if there was any EU style regulations they could main a degree of operational flexibility on ultra-high frequency routes, so denied boarding wouldn't be eligible for automatic compensation if you were rebooked on a flight that was scheduled to arrive within 31/61/91 (pick a number) mins of original schedule.

 

[SeatBackForward]

An interesting hypothetical, with MEL/SYD frequencies it's not hard to envisage someone being bumped off their original flight and moved to a flight 15 mins later that arrives earlier than the flight they were bumped from!

I think the airlines would lobby the government hard such that if there was any EU style regulations they could main a degree of operational flexibility on ultra-high frequency routes, so denied boarding wouldn't be eligible for automatic compensation if you were rebooked on a flight that was scheduled to arrive within 31/61/91 (pick a number) mins of original schedule.

Lets make it more interesting. Lets also factor in a varying degree of compensation dependent on WHEN the change is first made, with greatest penalties for less than 24hrs before scheduled departure.

 

[PPS_SYD]

It actually can happen to anyone. We've had experiences here on AFF of a WP in business class being bumped (can't recall if it was back into economy or off the flight altogether) to make room for QF Crew!

I suspect in your example, that you were travelling with family was given higher consideration than you being a WP. They are less likely to split your travelling party up.

I am WP and twice my flight was cancelled and I was downgraded from J to Y on the new flight.

I did file a complaint and was offered the fare difference (took whatever they gave) plus 10,000 Points on both occasions.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Have you actually tried to make a claim on EU261? The airlines literally just make up things to say it was out of their control and won't pay. It's not as easy as it seems to just be paid out.

Not sure I agree. It happened to me once on a delayed flight out of LHR on BA, and my claim went through practically in seconds. I was expecting some pushback but no. My brother was on the AF flight from KIX to CDG which made an emergency stop at GYD last week (for THIRTY hours!) and was proactively offered the compensation by AF who offered two further compensations on top of the EU required amount.

 

[LDN via BNE]

Have you actually tried to make a claim on EU261? The airlines literally just make up things to say it was out of their control and won't pay. It's not as easy as it seems to just be paid out.

Multiple times - easy to submit the claim (particularly with BA) and paid out quickly without further follow up.