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We were returning on the last Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Long Island yesterday. I knew it was oversold, and they had been asking for volunteers to be bumped on the previous flight. So I approached the desk and told the agent that if they were looking for volunteers for the Long Island flight, my husband and I would be interested. They called us up as the lines (A,B,C were forming) and offered us $700 in travel vouchers. We would fly to Kansas City, they would put us up in a hotel, and we would fly to Islip the next morning. We would arrive home 12 hours later than if we had gotten on. I was excited because I have tried to get a bump for several years and never was successful. We signed for the vouchers and they tried to get one more volunteer. They couldn't get the one more person, so they refused to let a party of 3 on and gave us back our boarding passes. The 3 had been latecomers and they didn't have to let them board. Bummer for us, and for them! By the way, one woman did come forward to volunteer. They offered her $200 plus the fare of her trip (same as us) but she booked her trip with Rapid Reward credits and only paid $5 for it. They wouldn't up the ante so she told them to forget it.
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Jacki
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Jacki,
Sorry you came so close to being bumbed, and then had to give up those vouchers.....
If you travel long enough, it will happen.
I noticed that you lived on Long Island, so I wanted to introduce myself to you. I also live on the Island. I live in East Norwich with my husband and two children. Moved here from the city when I got married.
Because I live in Nassau county, I usually fly out of Kennedy or LaGuardia. How is the Islip Airport, and are there major carriers leaving from there?
I could just as easily travel east instead of west.Angela
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
BTW, I'm still keeping track of how many times you annoy me.
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We had only one opportunity for a bump on the last leg of a trip back from Cancun on the flight from Newark to Hartford. We took the opportunity for 2 $100 vouchers and a flight 30 minutes later than the scheduled flight. We ended up with a fifteen minute delay and took the flight we were originally bumped from. I keep hoping for a bump on the way back if we are not on a very tight schedule.Comment
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On Lufthansa, you have the option of receiving 400 Euros in cash or as vouchers. When we were flying from Malaga to Paris, our family of 6 were bumped so we received 2400 Euros in Cash, which was a big help because Paris is so expensive.Syd
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Hi Angela. We enjoy flying out of Islip because it is only 10 minutes from my house and there is never any traffic getting there. I would think it would be an easy ride coming from the west as well. In addition to Southwest, United, US Air and Delta fly from there. Those carriers seldom make direct flights, though. Living on LI, maybe you can make it to our next NY get together (still to be planned).JackiComment
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Just got home from the big island today.We were a day late after getting voluntarily bumped twice in 3 hours!! Ended up staying extra night at the Hilton Waikaloa,taxi,meal vouchers and $2000 travel vouchers PLUS first class all the way home!!
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Last year wife and I got "bumped" Houston to Honolulu on Continental. Got $200 vouchers each plus first class tickets on the next flight (3 hours later). Did not know they plied their customers with free booze for eight hours.
Did not bump us on the return trip though.
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Sounds like a dream vacationOriginally posted by dboy1 Just got home from the big island today.We were a day late after getting voluntarily bumped twice in 3 hours!! Ended up staying extra night at the Hilton Waikaloa,taxi,meal vouchers and $2000 travel vouchers PLUS first class all the way home!!
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Wow, that great. I have never heard of such a great deal, good for you....Originally posted by dboy1 Just got home from the big island today.We were a day late after getting voluntarily bumped twice in 3 hours!! Ended up staying extra night at the Hilton Waikaloa,taxi,meal vouchers and $2000 travel vouchers PLUS first class all the way home!!
Angela
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
BTW, I'm still keeping track of how many times you annoy me.
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Looks like I'm going to have to go back to Hawaii for sure withjn a year to spend the vouchers.Bad luck on our part!!??
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I've had it break both ways in the last few weeks.
Coming back from Orlando for Pres. Week, we were offered $1800 for three of us (my sons and I) to bump off the Cleveland->Syracuse flight on Continental (3 $500 vouchers plus a $300 voucher for the rental car). I should've taken it, but (1) my son didn't want to, (2) I had a lot of work to get done before Monday, and (3) it was a 6 hour drive in a heavy snow storm to get back to Syracuse. Actually, it's 6 hours in good weather, so longer in the snow. They really wanted us to accept the bump because they needed three seats.
This past Sunday, coming back from SLC, they were looking for people to bump but couldn't get me back to Syracuse, so I couldn't accept it.
The key is to be flexible. I usually pick up at least one free ticket a year on bumps. I must say, though, I've never scored $2k in tickets plus first class!
sc
--"Because there is good, and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this."-- Rorschach, WatchmenComment
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For quite a few years after getting into timesharing my family financed the airfare for the next holiday trip by getting bumped on Continental airlines.
My very first timeshare exchange/stay was a Thanksgiving week in Sedona. On the way home they had changed equipment to a smaller plane and were even calling people ahead of time to try to get them to volunteer. We were enroute Sedona - Phoenix so we didn't get the call but they were still in need when we arrived at the airport. We had been scheduled through Houston to BWI and they offered us significant vouchers and a flight for the five of us on a different airline non-stop PHX-IAD that got us in earlier! They gave us a taxi voucher to get back to our car, used it to take everyone straight home instead and picked up the car the next day.
Another was a Xmas day trip BWI-Seattle through Houston, didn't make the usual volunteer check 'cause I had no idea that that flight would be overbooked. They called for volunteers and I made it up to the counter second. When they got to me they only need four volunteers but they gave it to the five of us anyway (Merry Xmas) and significant vouchers and first class on another airline (America West) through Phoenix at about the same time. Well, we got to PHX and SEA was fogged out to everyone but Alaska Air because they have special radar equipment. AW flew us to LAS where Alaska Air held a flight for us for an hour, there were many of us but Alaska Air seldom holds anything up for anyone (again Merry Xmas). we were first class the whole way even with all the perturbations AND the original Continental flight didn't get there until the next day because of the fog!
Another lucrative trip was a Christmas trip on Continental to St Croix. EWR-SJU-STX. In EWR I checked for volunteers and instead of taking the first flight of the day they wanted to offer the last flight of the day. I held out through several voucher price increases and finally caved at about $500x5. We got an airport hotel for the day and all day meal vouchers and a flight to SJU in the evening. they wanted to put us on the same connector the following day in the afternoon SJU to STX but I held out for a morning flight on a different airline. We were put up in adjoining rooms at the Ritz Carlton with vouchers for dinner at the hotel and room service breakfast. A new hotel and another adventure for the kids. On the way back through SJU the connector airline dropped my duty free liquor that they had taken from me and put in the baggage compartment, so I went off to take care of that and stationed the eldest son next to the gate check-in with instructions to volunteer when the gate opened. Being a lazy teenager he sat down and a couple who had watched my 'performance' at EWR the prior Saturday jumped up in front of him and got vouchers and tix on the next flight. Well they still needed us to volunteer but now there was no flight 'til the next day on another airline to JFK, so more meal vouchers, not so lucky on the hotel Embassy Suites at the airport instead of Ritz on the beach, and limo arranged JFK to EWR where my car was.
One of the most lucrative was a double bump we got on USAir coming back from Grand Cayman over Xmas week Sat-Sat a couple years back. Got back to the states, Charlotte and asked about volunteers, yes they might need us, how would we be accommodated? 4 R/T vouchers and seats on the next flight, last flight of the night. OK. Heard others later being offered hotel and meal vouchers and a flight the next morning along with R/T vouchers. Well, the flight came and went and we were not called to board, so i went to get my R/T vouchers and tickets for next flight and they wanted to give me hotel/meal vouchers and the flight the next day. No, that's not what I was offered. They rolled their eyes, gave me the R/T vouchers and tix on next flight. Went to next gate and the lighted banner asked for volunteers as soon as the gate opened. Volunteered and was immediately given four more R/T vouchers plus hotel/meal vouchers plus first class tix the next morning Sunday. They didn't even wait for the plane to board, we were on our way to the hotel, another new adventure for the kids. Used five of the eight R/T vouchers for a Thanksgiving trip to Vegas the next year, could use them during normal blackout dates because of preferred status. Customer Service Agent who ticket me was amazed that there were seats available on Wednesday/Sunday of Thanksgiving! These USAir vouchers come out of the same bucket as frequent flier tix.
There have gotta be a few more but I can't remember them all.
OK, there was one other that I remember. Gave son a high school graduation present of a trip to London and Athens with Mom that I won on Skyauction (Wife's Mom was Greek so she had relatives who she had never met.) Dropped them off and went to park the car and wait with them. Before I could get back they called me on the cell and asked if they should take a bump, they were being asked at the check-in counter. It's your trip what do you want to do? Well they took the bump and got free tix one segment roundtrip anywhere Virgin Atlantic flies along with a hotel and meal vouchers and tix the next morning. Whole family had dinner at TGIF at the airport then we went home, trashing the hotel voucher. Wife and I used the free tix to go to London the next summer.... not enough time for all the timeshares ®Comment
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Spence,
OMG....you have made out like a bandit, hahaha. I had no idea being bumped could be so profitable, or was this common.
I have never been bumped. I have been on a few flights in my life that asked for volunteers to take another flight. I had no idea they would be given so much, and never wanted to get off the plane.
Next time I see them asking for volunteers, I will look into the situation, it sounds like its definetly worth it....
Angela
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
BTW, I'm still keeping track of how many times you annoy me.
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Well I did not get bumped this weekend but I missed my connection flight and had to sleep in Puerto Rico. Things were about to get ugly as the supervisor had it out with someone before me. I saw the way he tried to handle it so I now knew what not to do. AS soon as she walked over to me her words were the same as what she gave him. I told her to first take a deep breath as she was now dealing with me and not him. Right off the bat, I explained that I felt insulted that they would give out a $10 dinner cert and a $5 breakfast Cert. What do they expect you to eat White Castles? Then they were putting me in a standard room for the night in a standard hotel. I explained that my room I just lost on was a TS and the value was triple that. She could not do anything about the certificates but she was able to get me a king size bed beach front view at a Marriott. I loved the hammocks on the beach.
NOW to make up for dinner I asked for and upgrade and to extend my trip a day and I wanted first class. She agreed to extend it but first class according to her was imposable to do. Hmm I said are you not a supervisor I asked? She claimed she did not have the ability to do so as she could get in trouble. So I asked would AA rather that they have there customers post these occurrences on flyer talk or should I post it on every travel site out there including here. Of coarse I was smiling, I kept my cool which is rare in the airports. I also told the woman she looked very nice with that great big smile of hers. It now did sounded like she was now going to help me get into First class. She did it for me and we then Spoke after wards for a bit. I even was a gentleman and kissed her hand. Too bad I had to cancel the flight the next day as I did not know we had a party to go to Saturday. My wife was not to happy about me extending it so I was lucky to call up and get it changed back to Friday and I was still able to go first class.
Timeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4msComment
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Frank....welcome back.
I'm sorry that you missed your flight. However, considering the cirumstances, you handled the situation well, and also made out like a bandit.....
It's amazing how much you can get, if you know what to ask for, and how to deal with these situations.
I bet you had a really fun trip. Are you going to tell us some stories?....
Angela
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
BTW, I'm still keeping track of how many times you annoy me.
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