More air passengers getting bumped - August 2006

[Marc]

From USA Today:

By Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY
Airline passengers in the USA are getting bumped off flights more frequently than at any time in the last six years, the government reported Thursday.

TODAY IN THE SKY: Best and worst airlines for bumping

Some 16,300 passengers were bumped against their wishes in the April-June quarter, a rate of 1.12 passengers per 10,000. That rate is one-third higher than a year earlier. The airlines' rate of what the Department of Transportation calls "involuntary denied boardings" was the highest since the same quarter in 2000.

In all, the DOT said, airlines bumped about 185,000 passengers during the last quarter, also up from the year-ago quarter. Most volunteered to give up their seats.

The worsening problem with bumping reflects the intensifying push by airlines to fill a greater percentage of seats. Grappling with soaring travel demand, continuing financial problems and record high fuel prices, airlines are filling planes fuller to maximize ticket revenue while holding down operating costs. No. 1 American Airlines filled a record 87% of its seats last month, while Delta and Continental filled 85% of seats during July. That means many flights were sold out or oversold.

Southwest Airlines bumped nearly 32,000 passengers voluntarily or involuntarily in the quarter, more than any other airline. But the Dallas-based discount giant also carried more passengers than any of the 19 airlines covered in the DOT report.

According to the DOT report, the percentage of delayed and canceled flights also increased from a year earlier. More than 25% of all domestic flights in June arrived late, defined as 15 minutes or more off schedule.

Summer 2006 is shaping up as the most troublesome for airline passengers in years, in part because of unexpected problems. During the week of July 16, New York City suffered a power outage, and Tropical Storm Beryl fouled up flights from New York to New England. On July 26 and July 27, a Northwest Airlines computer glitch delayed 562 flights.

This summer, Chicagoan Tony Hiller, a frequent traveler, has found that persistence pays. He spent two days trying to fly from Chicago to the Washington, D.C., area to visit his grandmother.

When American canceled his flight from Chicago O'Hare to Washington Reagan National Airport on July 20, a day when many flights were canceled, the airline told him it couldn't assure him another seat for four days.

"I was stunned," he says, "but some of the other passengers went completely ballistic."

American told passengers the airport would provide cots for an overnight stay if necessary. Instead, Hiller went home, and the next day caught a Southwest evening flight from Chicago Midway to Baltimore-Washington International.

[tomvehoski]

Not really surprising since carriers have been cutting flights in favor of trying to be profitable. All my flights have been packed over the last six months. I got caught in two computer glitch issues in the last month, but they only cost me an hour or so of delay time.

I don't see this as completly "unexpected" as the article suggests. Weather happens every day of every year. Otherwise, can I make money by predicting that within the next 30 days?:
1. Afternoon thunderstorms will pop up in Memphis and Atlanta, disrupting travel (probably next week since I'll be down that way).
2. Tropical storms/hurricanes will cause problems in FL, AL, TX and/or MS
3. Several flights will have to stop enroute to refuel from dodging storms.

I love watching passengers go ballistic (as referenced in the article) over weather delays. I sat in a stuffy DC-9 in Memphis last month for almost two hours due to air traffic control delays and dispatchers trying to route us around thunderstorms in the midwest. Woman across the aisle was having a fit into her cell phone that we should just "fly over them" and she would never fly NWA again. I really wanted to wake her up once airborn to point out the thunderstorm cell to the right that extended way way way above our cruise altitude of 33,000 feet.

Airlines are not going to have extra planes and crews sitting around in case of weather delays. Since there are fewer extra seats, they (or you) have to get creative with routing, airports, etc.

Bumps are not necessarially bad for an airline. The $200-$300 vouchers they give up for a bump are much less than flying 1/2 empty planes, or not selling that last minute walk up fare of $1500 to get from Chicago to Washington. Many people like being bumped for the compensation, and some even plan it by finding heavy routes that may offer them more often. The only reason you should get an Involuntary Denied Boarding is if you are the last to check in. Checkin in online, or getting to the airport early, should eliminate the chance 99.99999% of the time.

Air travel is much like rush hour traffic - know some alternate routes, and deal with what you can't control.

[Randy]

Kinda like Tom said for me too.

I occupy my time if there is a delay by watching the amatuer travelers huff & puff, make demands and never get anywhere.

As for getting bumped, if I don't go that means the flight was totally cancelled and I'll be put on the 1st plane (for any airline) going the direction I need. I fly AA exclusively and have already qualified Exec this year so bumping isn't an issue. My biggest worry is getting an aisle or window in 1st Class on an upgrade.

Flying for me is like someone else taking a cab or bus, it's just a ride.

[Craig H.]

Originally Posted by tomvehoski

I love watching passengers go ballistic (as referenced in the article) over weather delays. I sat in a stuffy DC-9 in Memphis last month for almost two hours due to air traffic control delays and dispatchers trying to route us around thunderstorms in the midwest. Woman across the aisle was having a fit into her cell phone that we should just "fly over them" and she would never fly NWA again. I really wanted to wake her up once airborn to point out the thunderstorm cell to the right that extended way way way above our cruise altitude of 33,000 feet.

Yeah, that is one way to go ballistic - try flying over a thunderstorm and get the wings pulled off. Wheeeeee! Splat.

[tomvehoski]

Originally Posted by Craig H.

Yeah, that is one way to go ballistic - try flying over a thunderstorm and get the wings pulled off. Wheeeeee! Splat.

I love flying AROUND thunderstorms, but not through or over them. One of the coolest flights I ever had was last summer going to Atlanta. There were massive thunderstorm cells on either side of the plane, with a narrow corridor inbetween that all air traffic was using. Lots of snaking around clouds. Really bright light show on both sides of the plane (night flight), and every miniute or so you would see another plane zoom past the on the right in the opposite direction.

The airplane can handle much much more abuse than the people inside, so I've never had worries about wings coming off, but I don't know that I would want to be flying into a hurricane as storm chasers do.

[JerryStem]

Originally Posted by tomvehoski

The airplane can handle much much more abuse than the people inside, so I've never had worries about wings coming off, but I don't know that I would want to be flying into a hurricane as storm chasers do.

In the Navy I remember running around in hurricanes on an aircraft carrier. You wouldn't think something that big rocks and rolls very much but get into something like a hurricane & you can roll a ball across the ship just by letting go. Good to sleep by though, like rocking a crib...

Jerry

[Randy]

Typhoons and carriers....whew!

I can remember waves crashing 40 feet over the bow of the Midway. The seas were a bit rough that day