Rare FlyerTalker Posted December 11, 2017 Author #126 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Can’t understand the logic of one buying a BE ticket for an international flight! Two flights to Europe in the past 3-4 months, with both being oversold. Who do you think will get bumped if they have no volunteers for a bump? So, to fill out the missing data portion of your story -- were there any involuntary denied boardings? Or were there enough volunteers? If you wish to contribute data points, please feel free. Also, note that the rate for IDB is in the hundredths (if not thousandths) of a percent of travelers. Probably the most overblown concern among infrequent flyers. Check the DOT stats to see for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted December 11, 2017 #127 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Flyer talker; 1. There were no BE tickets sold for the PHL-ATH flight, so comparable actions couldn’t be made. 2. They were still looking for “volunteers “ when we boarded in BC . So don’t know what finally transpired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdcatc12 Posted December 11, 2017 #128 Share Posted December 11, 2017 No prior seat selection! Someone has to set in those middle seats in the rear of the plane on those 3-4-3 or 3-5-3 configurations! Just curious what airline and airplane is the 3-5-3 configuration on? I know AB is offering it on the A380, but I didn't think anyone was using it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted December 11, 2017 #129 Share Posted December 11, 2017 I was thinking Qantas and the 380s. The US carriers aren’t doing them yet. The AA 772 is 2-5-2. I would say the odds of any flyer on a BE ticket getting any of those 2s would be about zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bUU Posted December 12, 2017 #130 Share Posted December 12, 2017 I was thinking Qantas and the 380s. They're still 3-4-3. https://www.qantas.com/content/dam/qantas/pdfs/qantas-experience/at-the-airport/seat-maps/qantas-A380-14F64J35PY371Y.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6rugrats Posted December 12, 2017 #131 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Interesting thought, will parents be allowed to buy regular Economy tickets and then buy BE for their small children? I could see wars ahead on seat assignments, if so! No. If the flights/routing allowed, and the ages of the children required them to fly as unaccompanied minors, the parents would have to pay the UM fee. This would probably eat up any "savings." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted December 13, 2017 #132 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Interesting thought, will parents be allowed to buy regular Economy tickets and then buy BE for their small children? I could see wars ahead on seat assignments, if so! No. If the flights/routing allowed, and the ages of the children required them to fly as unaccompanied minors, the parents would have to pay the UM fee. Actually, they probably could. The rule is usually that parents must be ticketed in the same cabin as minors, in this case they would be, albeit with different types of tickets. Either the parents can buy their tickets, then call to book the kids in BE; I've done this when buying a revenue ticket for myself and an award ticket on the same flight for my kids. Once the agent can confirm that I AM on the flight, they can ticket the kids without charging the UAM fee. Alternatively, the parents could book one parent and one child in economy, and then book the other parent and other child in BE and switch seats around onboard so that both kids are in the BE seats. That answers "can" they? Next is "should" they? Depends entirely on the ages, familiarity with air travel, and general behavior of the kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted December 13, 2017 #133 Share Posted December 13, 2017 I was thinking more of the scenario where Mom and Pop had reserved seats, say A&B on a 3-4-3, and the young child didn’t have a seat assignment on his BE ticket. You have seat C, an aisle seat. If they check in early, will the agent (a) give the child your C seat and send you to a rear middle seat? Or (b) will they make the parent go to the rear with the child? Or © will a parent have to take the BE seating and the child gets their seat? Just believe if the parents game the system and (a) becomes the answer you’ll see war! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bUU Posted December 13, 2017 #134 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Just believe if the parents game the system and (a) becomes the answer you’ll see war!Wouldn't that just result in the passenger being escorted off the aircraft and banned from flying the airline in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pinotlover Posted December 13, 2017 #135 Share Posted December 13, 2017 BUU; Only in the most extreme circumstances. If the airlines are indeed going to introduce BE tickets on international routes similar to domestic policy, in lieu of just changing baggage allowances, then they must strategize how they will approach this issue. People will game it in a heartbeat if they fill they can get away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlyerTalker Posted December 13, 2017 Author #136 Share Posted December 13, 2017 If the airlines are indeed going to introduce BE tickets on international routes similar to domestic policy, in lieu of just changing baggage allowances, then they must strategize how they will approach this issue. People will game it in a heartbeat if they fill they can get away with it. As some of the more "creative" comments on this forum have demonstrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bUU Posted December 13, 2017 #137 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Only in the most extreme circumstances.Ah, so there are wars that aren't extreme. :) If the airlines are indeed going to introduce BE tickets on international routes similar to domestic policy, in lieu of just changing baggage allowances, then they must strategize how they will approach this issue. People will game it in a heartbeat if they fill they can get away with it.True, but I think once they do lock it down passengers will grudgingly adjust. There doesn't seem to be much motivation for consumers to band together into "battalions" to "battle" against the mass-market as-a-whole. We're much more so "all talk" rather than action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted December 14, 2017 #138 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I was thinking more of the scenario where Mom and Pop had reserved seats, say A&B on a 3-4-3, and the young child didn’t have a seat assignment on his BE ticket. You have seat C, an aisle seat. If they check in early, will the agent (a) give the child your C seat and send you to a rear middle seat? Or (b) will they make the parent go to the rear with the child? Or © will a parent have to take the BE seating and the child gets their seat? The gate agent will likely say option C. If the parents insist the kid can't sit alone, one parent and the kid take the assigned A & B seats, and the other parent takes the mystery seat in BE, wherever that may end up being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted December 14, 2017 #139 Share Posted December 14, 2017 We tend to avoid United whenever possible. We may buy a UA ticket to an international gateway but we always try for a code share operated by another airline. Paying for bags is not an issue for us since we always do carry on. Heard a nice story from a friend recently returned (last week) from FLL for a cruise. They got to FLL. Their bags came out. One had a tear in it and two wheels were broken off. He went to Delta baggage office to report the damage. He told the Delta clerk that he was boarding a cruise the next day. The Delta clerk said just a minute. Went to the back and came back with a brand new suitcase. Handed it my friend, indicated a table where he could switch the contents of his damaged bag. He was out of there in fifteen minutes with a new (and better quality) bag. Never heard of this before on any airline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted December 15, 2017 #140 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Heard a nice story from a friend recently returned (last week) from FLL for a cruise. They got to FLL. Their bags came out. One had a tear in it and two wheels were broken off. He went to Delta baggage office to report the damage. He told the Delta clerk that he was boarding a cruise the next day. The Delta clerk said just a minute. Went to the back and came back with a brand new suitcase. The DL baggage people at FLL are really good, in my experience. One gal there in particular, Deb. Q., is just awesome! Actually, the DL Sky Club folks and the DL gate agents (generally speaking) are also a cut above at FLL. Delta must have a really good station manager there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlyerTalker Posted December 15, 2017 Author #141 Share Posted December 15, 2017 The DL baggage people at FLL are really good, in my experience. One gal there in particular, Deb. Q., is just awesome! Actually, the DL Sky Club folks and the DL gate agents (generally speaking) are also a cut above at FLL. Delta must have a really good station manager there! Good station in my experience. The staff there have seen it all. Talking to one GA, they told me how for arrivals, they don't send the full compliment of wheelchairs down the jetway on arrivals from LGA/JFK. Lots of "Lourdes" flights, with pax who needed the wheelchairs in NYC miraculously walk off the plane with no assistance in Florida. But wheelchairs are in high demand when heading north again. FWIW, just about all stations have replacement bags stashed away for when the airline REALLY mangles some luggage. Minor damage doesn't cut it, but when it's clear the airline made the luggage unusable, they give you either a loaner or a new one on the spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted December 19, 2017 #142 Share Posted December 19, 2017 FWIW, just about all stations have replacement bags stashed away for when the airline REALLY mangles some luggage. Minor damage doesn't cut it, but when it's clear the airline made the luggage unusable, they give you either a loaner or a new one on the spot. Last time that happened -- UA gave me a box to put my clothes in with a handle. Smisek days and was an over entitled 1K. They did not have any Tumi's in the back :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelplus Posted December 21, 2017 #143 Share Posted December 21, 2017 For me I will avoid Basic Economy as its too restrictive and I want to know my seat assignment is a good one in advance. That $30 or so savings is minor. For me Delta Comfort+ is worth the cost for me on domestic flights. If I were flying United I would just sign up for their credit card to have my bag fee waived and be done with it. I wonder if you had the Credit Card would they waive the bag fee and then you just carry on a backpack in Basic Economy or does that not even work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterbug123 Posted December 22, 2017 #144 Share Posted December 22, 2017 If I were flying United I would just sign up for their credit card to have my bag fee waived and be done with it. I assume you know there is a cost involved with signing up for an airline credit card. If you fly often enough that the fee is worth it in terms of free bags that's fine. But for a once a year flyer it might not make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdcatc12 Posted December 22, 2017 #145 Share Posted December 22, 2017 I assume you know there is a cost involved with signing up for an airline credit card. If you fly often enough that the fee is worth it in terms of free bags that's fine. But for a once a year flyer it might not make sense. The fee is waived the first year of the card. If you are only flying them within a year, it would be worth it, as long as you remember to cancel before the fee kicks in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now