GET THE MOST OUT OF BEING BUMPED

As many of you know I tavel a lot for business, and when I have the opportunity I will take a bump on an oversold flight. I usually only do this if the next flight is not too much of an inconvenience. Regardless, the below information will help you get the most out of being a volunteer.

Some carriers initially offer a coupon for a free domestic ticket to volunteers who give up their seats on an oversold flight. If you agree to be bumped, ask for a travel credit voucher instead—a dollar amount that can be used toward the purchase of a future flight. (About $300 is the going rate, though gate agents often up the ante if they’re having a tough time finding volunteers.) Vouchers that are good for a round-trip ticket (as opposed to ones with a dollar amount attached to them) are subject to the same restrictions as frequent-flier awards—blackout dates and increasingly tighter capacity controls—making them much more difficult to use. The monetary voucher, however, is good for any flight and doesn’t carry any restrictions. Also, tickets you purchase with a monetary travel voucher qualify for frequent-flier miles, while those from travel credit vouchers don’t.

Go ahead any bump to your hearts content!

ACT AT THE RIGHT TIME.

To increase your chance of getting a good price on your next flight, keep in mind that carriers must release new airfares to a central clearinghouse (called the Airline Tariff Publishing Company) at certain hours; on weekdays, the best times to look for new fares are just after 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and midnight. 

Tickets that were reserved but never paid for usually appear after midnight, so the selection is especially rich then. On weekends, fares are updated just once a day, around 5 p.m

Source: T+L, 02/2007

Here is some wise information that I have shared often...

Tips for Finding the Best Seat

1. Get to Know the Aircraft
There are several web sites, like SeatGuru.com, that will graphically show the relative position of every seat for every aircraft model flown by over 30 airlines. The comments listed on SeatGuru are invaluable as they are the results of passenger observations. Find out which aircraft type your flight will be using and study the seating chart. Make particular note of the nuances of each seat. Avoid seats near gallies and rest rooms at all costs.

2. Find Out What is Available
Airline web sites may not always show you what seats are available for your flight. And leaving your seat assignment up to the airline’s computer is like playing the lottery and hoping for the best. Go to ExpertFlyer.com, which will show you which seats are occupied or available for specific flights up to 11 months in advance for over 100 airlines worldwide. Pick an available seat then call the airline and ask for it specifically.

3. Not All Aircraft Types are the Same
So you found out your flight will use a specific aircraft type. Do you think they are all configured the same? Guess again. Japan Airlines has over a dozen different seating configurations just for their 747s and American Airlines has two very different 777 First Class configurations. The seat maps of ExpertFlyer.com and SeatGuru.com will help you find the right configuration and the best seats.

4. Think Twice About Asking For The Exit Row
The common belief is that an exit row seat is probably the best seat in coach. Maybe, but it can also be the worst. If an aircraft has two exit rows, one behind the other, never pick the first exit row. Why? The seats will not recline so as not to intrude into the exit row behind. And while the exit row seats may have a little more leg room they usually have less width. This is to accommodate the tray table that must be stowed in the armrest instead of behind the seat in front.

5. They Save the Best for Last
Airlines will generally hold back certain choice seats for assignment to their elite frequent flyers. If these seats are not assigned they will then be released at the airport just before flight time. These include seats at the front of the coach cabin and exit row seats. If you don’t like your seat assignment, ask at the airport when you check-in if one of these “blocked” seats is available.

6. Changing the Fleet
As airlines bring new aircraft into their fleet and retrofit older aircraft, the in-flight seating and entertainment will vary amongst the same aircraft for a particular airline. This is especially true in First and Business classes with more advanced entertainment systems and “lie-flat” seating.

7. Beware the Lie-Flat seat “Lie”
The Holy Grail for any long haul traveler is to be able to lie perfectly flat in your seat as if you were lying in bed. Some airlines have installed bed-like seats in the First and Business cabins. But others seem to have taken liberties with the concept of “lie-flat.” Be aware that some seats that claim to be lie-flat are actually on an angle or “wedge”. The seat can be reclined to a position that is virtually straight, but it is pitched on an angle creating what looks like a wedge with respect to the floor. While these are certainly nice seats, they are definitely not the real thing as passengers have a tendency to slide down the seat.

[Source: www.beststuff.com]