Bump Me, Please … for a Price - airline scheduling - Brief Article

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Dec, 1999 by Kimberly Lankford

Believe it or not, some find the rewards well worth the wait.

This time of year, airports are filled with two very different kinds of people. The vast majority want to get where they're going unhassled and on time, regardless of the holiday crush. Call them delusional. A tiny minority, though, are aching to be delayed. Call them, well, adventurous.

Pat and Frank Conway fall into the second group. They arrange their schedule in hopes of living most travelers' nightmare: being bumped off an overbooked flight.

Ever since they got $500 vouchers for agreeing to give up their seats on a flight several years ago, the Conways have become professional bumpees. "We do it like a hobby now," says Pat, as she enthusiastically passes on tales of collecting thousands of dollars in airline vouchers. The piece de resistance: A $1,700-plus weekend when the Conways were bumped off both legs of a connecting flight.

What's their secret? The Conways add extra time to their schedule, arrive at the gate early and--here's the real kicker--they immediately tell the attendant they might be convinced to give up their seats.

Overbooking is commonplace and legal, and usually goes unnoticed because there are enough no-shows to ensure a seat for everyone who wants one. But when too many ticketed passengers check in, airlines ask for volunteers to switch to a later flight.

The rules don't require airlines to give voluntary bumpees anything in particular. But most will offer a voucher worth a few hundred dollars toward your next flight or a ticket to any destination--in addition to booking you on the next flight. You may also get free meals, plus a hotel room if you're delayed overnight.

The benefits can be rich because the airline wants to avoid involuntary bumping, which angers customers and may trigger mandatory compensation rules. "It's almost like an auction," says Steve Loucks, spokesman for Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Minneapolis. "You'll find some instances in which there's a planeload of people and nobody wants to get off, and the airline reps keep upping the ante. I've seen them offer $1,000."

If you wouldn't mind exchanging a few hours for a free airline ticket, here's how to increase your odds of getting bumped:

* Add some slack to your travel schedule, so you have the luxury of volunteering.

* Arrive at the gate early and ask if volunteers are needed. Offering to fall on your sword means giving up a chance for the biggest payoff if the airline winds up desperately begging for volunteers, but it can put you at the top of the list for a free flight.

* Check schedules so you can recommend an alternative flight. Before offering up your seat, find out when your new flight will leave and make sure your seat is guaranteed, so you're not stuck waiting in a standby line. Be alert for double dipping: If you're switched to another overbooked flight and are bumped again, you can get another free trip.

* When negotiating for your bounty, ask when you can use the ticket, whether you can give it away and whether you can use it on several trips. If you use a $500 Continental voucher for a $300 ticket, for example, you forfeit the remaining $200.

TACTICS FOR THE REST OF US, You say you'd rather be working in a salt mine than cooling your heels in an airport to earn free tickets? To cut your odds of being bumped:

* Avoid busy travel times. "We advise people to go on nonrush-hour flights, from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. during the week," says Kyle McCarthy, editor of Family Travel Forum.

* Check in early. If you arrive less than ten minutes before a domestic flight (longer for some airlines), your seat may be given to a standby passenger and you could be bumped.

If you are bumped involuntarily, federal rules require the airline to pay you the one-way fare, up to $200, if your new flight is scheduled to arrive one to two hours after the original flight, and double the fare, up to $400, if you wind up being delayed more than two hours. Don't expect anything if the new flight gets you to your destination less than an hour late or if you are on a chartered flight.

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