Voluntary Bumping

hummingbird wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:01:50 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:


hummingbird wrote:


But as a standard airline business practice which often cause a lot of
delay,

It doesn't often cause delay.
The volunteers are asked for before the flight even starts its normal
boarding process.


Get real. Read my other post about my Bangkok to London experience.
Overbooking causes delays if only because airline staff delay checking
in while they go down the queues asking for volunteers to bump.

Have US airlines got this process down to a fine art? I dunno.

Maybe the reason for the check-in delay had nothing to do with being
oversold.

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:47:59 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:

hummingbird wrote:

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:01:50 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:


hummingbird wrote:


But as a standard airline business practice which often cause a lot of
delay,

It doesn't often cause delay.
The volunteers are asked for before the flight even starts its normal
boarding process.


Get real. Read my other post about my Bangkok to London experience.
Overbooking causes delays if only because airline staff delay checking
in while they go down the queues asking for volunteers to bump.

Have US airlines got this process down to a fine art? I dunno.

Maybe the reason for the check-in delay had nothing to do with being
oversold.

I think in the case of my Bangkok flight it most certainly was.
I can't say for other overbookings and delays though.

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:38:57 +1000 'ant'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:

hummingbird wrote:

If I ever decided to shell out a large sum of money for First or
Business class and found myself seated next to or adjacent to a
noisy 10yo fidgety brat belonging to the nouveau rich, or even a
multi-$$$ pop star and family or whatever it would make me livid
and I'd feel totally cheated.
That's one major reason why I don't do it. The risk is too great.

I even proposed some while ago that large planes could offer a
'child-free zone' for people like me ...and there's plenty of us.

What I want more than anything on long flights is peace and quiet
so I can read or snooze.

I always have a schadenfreudish chuckle when going through the Special Bit
of the plane toward my crowded section, and in the Special Bit is Kids! Like
they're going to behave on a 15 hour flight. Ha.
Hopefully the growing push toward child-free options will see this in
aeroplanes. The push being driven by the poor behaviour of many kids these
days.

I hope and pray that it happens ...soon.

Whether it will be a zone for people with kids or a zone for pax who
want to get away from kids, remains to be seen. I guess the result is
the same ...more peace and quiet.

hummingbird wrote:

Whether it will be a zone for people with kids or a zone for pax who
want to get away from kids, remains to be seen. I guess the result is
the same ...more peace and quiet.

I'm thinking: Cargo Hold. (except the animals down there might complain
about the noise).

--
Don't try to reply to my email addy:
I'm borrowing that of the latest
scammer/spammer

hummingbird wrote:

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:47:59 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:



Maybe the reason for the check-in delay had nothing to do with being
oversold.


I think in the case of my Bangkok flight it most certainly was.
I can't say for other overbookings and delays though.

You "think" that it "most certainly" was?
How did you come to this conclusion.
Overbooking is not ususual.
Overselling is not unusual, but less likely than overbooking. (You know
the difference between overbooked and oversold, right?)
IDB is much less likely.

As I recall (and I could be wrong), but you outbound flight was several
hours late, right? Why do you think this would have been caused by such
a common event as overbooking. What would the reason be? When they
realize a flight is oversold, they ask for volunteers, before the normal
boarding time. They don't hold up boarding for several hours.

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:33:14 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:

hummingbird wrote:

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:47:59 -0700 'NotABushSupporter'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:



Maybe the reason for the check-in delay had nothing to do with being
oversold.


I think in the case of my Bangkok flight it most certainly was.
I can't say for other overbookings and delays though.


You "think" that it "most certainly" was?

"I'm sure it was" if you prefer.

How did you come to this conclusion.

I've already explained that several times.

Overbooking is not ususual.

It's the first flight I've been booked on where it has arisen.
But I gave up travelling to the US some years ago where I believe
it's more common.

Overselling is not unusual, but less likely than overbooking. (You know
the difference between overbooked and oversold, right?)

Nope ...but the effect on pax is presumably similar.

IDB is much less likely.

As I recall (and I could be wrong), but you outbound flight was several
hours late, right? Why do you think this would have been caused by such
a common event as overbooking. What would the reason be? When they
realize a flight is oversold, they ask for volunteers, before the normal
boarding time. They don't hold up boarding for several hours.

That's not actually how it happened as I explained...
Check-in was delayed for a long time while BA staff prepared a memo
to hawk around the queue of passengers trying to get bump volunteers.
For some reason Qantas passengers were called out of the queue to be
checked in before BA pax.

ie - check-in should have started at 9pm and I was No.4 in the queue.
I should have been through before 9.30pm approx.

I didn't actually get checked in until 11.55pm and that was after much
strong arm stuff on me by BA staff. Scheduled departure was 12.10am.

Then there was another 30mins waiting in the gate area and a further
1.5 hours on board before actual take-off at 2.15am. The plane had
arrived from Sydney on time en route to London.

I cannot see that there was any reason for the delay other than the
overbooking issue.

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:13:07 +1000 'ant'
posted this onto rec.travel.air:

hummingbird wrote:

Whether it will be a zone for people with kids or a zone for pax who
want to get away from kids, remains to be seen. I guess the result is
the same ...more peace and quiet.

I'm thinking: Cargo Hold. (except the animals down there might complain
about the noise).

I dunno but I'm 99% sure of one thing: the airlines will find a way
of charging *more* for seats in the area of the plane free of kids.

It'll probably be marketed as a *quiet zone* or some other fancy
marketing name.