Problems on EWR-LHR flights

Does anyone know of any problems with overbooking on EWR-LHR route that happened on Sunday? My colleague travelled back from NY with 4 other female friends - she checked in line and got 5 seats together.

However, on arrival at the airport was informed that she could not fly as they had been bumped to cater for a large party of schoolchildren who had to get back in time for school the next day. One of her friends was a school teacher, so of course she had the same problem too [:(!]

She kicked up a great deal of fuss and quoted various items of travel law (working in a solicitors does occasionally help) and they miraculously found 5 seats for them.

Does anyone know of any problems recently?

[mitchja]

My VS22 flight from IAD was also over-booked coming home on Sunday, it's often the case at the end of half terms or other holidays.

Regards

Originally posted by lynnewob

However, on arrival at the airport was informed that she could not fly as they had been bumped to cater for a large party of schoolchildren who had to get back in time for school the next day. One of her friends was a school teacher, so of course she had the same problem too [:(!]

Do you know what compensation they were offered ?

Over the years of travelling in school holidays on non B&S routes I think it is more often the case than not that overbooking and bumping has occurred - usually they have no shortage of volunteers...

Paul

They weren't offered anything (which surprised me) - that's why they kicked up such a fuss and eventually got onto the flight.

All airlines including Virgin over book their flights by aprrox 30% hence the op-up.

When they advise passengers that they can not accommodate them on their booked flight, they should at least offer compensation, and an alternative flight on either their carrier or another airline. Amazed they didn't offer any kind of compensation. When they booked you on, they would of bumped off 5 other pax!!!

30% seems a high number ... I'd have thought much lower ... but is this really the case? Wow!

I'll be willing to bet Virgin have a more evolved system than that, and it will probably depend on factors such as route, day of the week, and other seasonal factors.

For example, your more likely to have no shows on a business route like LHR-NYC than you would on a B&S route such as LGW-Caribbean.

That said, you would expect that they would reduce the overbooking factor during periods such as school holidays.

ISTR that VS don't overbook J at all these days?

Cheers,
Mike

Originally posted by slinky09
30% seems a high number ... I'd have thought much lower ... but is this really the case? Wow!

I believe VS states that they purposely overbook somewhere on its website. IIRC they list reasons such as to compensate for no-shows, etc.

Originally posted by slinky09
30% seems a high number ... I'd have thought much lower ... but is this really the case? Wow!

It really depends on route, time of year, carrier.... I've actually never seen a VS flight overbooked by 30%.

There are a few Ports that are notorious (and I am not speaking here as a VS staffer, but someone with a fair amount of airline experience).
Usually to do with local conditions... for instance in JNB or HKG there are regularly over 30% 'no-snows' for departures.
I've seen SAA JNB Flights over booked by 100 Seats (on a 380 Seat aircraft) and CX HKG departures over booked by 80 Seats (on a 370 seat aircraft (having worked for both carriers).

It is very rare for VS to have to deny boarding to someone who actually insists on flying. Usually they will find volunteers willing to accept the offer.

It is however sometimes possible that someone will be held at check-in while space is found (Particularly if their seats have been given to a, well lets say a student party?).

But if anyone is in this situation... then Customer Relations will be able to give a formal answer, rather than relying on speculation.

For Delta, the amount a flight is overbooked is the statistical average of the number of noshows a flight has. So if a flight statistically has 21 people noshow it'll be authorized to an oversale of 21.

Flights within the Delta system that are usually more overbooked are our hub to hub flights such as ATL-CVG that basically just shuffle connecting traffic from hub to hub. Statistically there is always a large number of people that will miss these flights due to delays and such within the system.