Playing the voluntary...
 

OK, so I'm still in San Francisco, as are nineteen other would-be pax from today's VS020 -- which was hideously overbooked. There was quite a lot of chaos going on at gate A8, and if the rumours are true there was the same yesterday and there'll be the same again tomorrow. SF is full of Brits going home. Or, in my case, not going home but wandering down Columbus being naughty.

Nevetheless, a good deal: overnighted and a free return flight to anywhere on the Virgin network. "Ah, but not Sydney" said one of the other non-pax as we trundled back to the Holiday Inn. "They definitely told me not Sydney".

They definitely didn't tell me any such thing, and as I have a friend in Oz I can't afford to visit otherwise this is a bit of a downer. Does anyone know what the standard deal is? I was a bit surprised at how messy the whole business of voluntarily being bumped was - they must do it a lot of the time, but nobody seemed to know what to do with the various forms, what to do with the visa counterfoils (I retrieved mine from behind the desk: everyone else, I fear, has now officially left the US despite being here) or what would happen tomorrow when we turn up for our deferred flight with absolutely no documentation whatsoever.

When I've gone through the same business with BA, it's been a lot smoother - and cash in hand rather than vague promises.

Meanwhile, I have a decision to make. If those rumours are true, then I stand a good chance of repeating the exercise tomorrow and gathering a second freebie - which means me and the equally impoverished missus can go gallivanting across the globe (Sydney or no). The only thing that would put me off, Monday being a bank holiday and all, is the thought of having to survive another session with SF airport security...

R

Its usually policy that you can only be bumped once. They usually guarantee you a seat on the next flight otherwise you could sit there for a week claiming free flights and 400 odd euros each time!!

Good luck anyway

Funny you should mention the Australia thing. When Mrs J and I went on our honeymoon with BA they lost our luggage for 4 days. How to ruin a honeymoon by British Airways.

On our return I did the customary jumping up and down about how they had stuffed it up and what were they going to do about it. 2 return tickets to anywhere was the response. This is great I thought. I hadn't been back to Brisbane for a while, so rang them up and said "Brisbane it is". ......... to be told "Sorry, Australia isn't available". That's where the fun really began.

There was nothing on any of the documentation stating restrictions on destinations. They had to give into that. I told them I would like to travel in September........ to be told "Sorry, no availability". I had checked on the BA website before I called, and there certainly was availability and proceeded to let them know once again there was nothing on the documentation stating restrictions on the basis of what I assumed was them using frequent flyer seats or other freebies. The letter simply stated "2 return airfares anywhere in the BA network" and that was that.

If what you get is the same, pressure the bastards. They can't make the rules up as they go along.

Jericho

>They can't make the rules up as they go along.

But they can - and do. It comes down to who argues best (longest?), though.

They do indeed try to radeng. That's why I get everything in writing when unfortunate things like this happen and stuff it back in their faces when they start playing silly buggers. A mention of bringing it to the attention of the media doesn't go astray either.

Jerricho! You wouldn't resort to bribery would you? Would you? :eek:

Honeymoon
 

Jerricho wrote:

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Funny you should mention the Australia thing. When Mrs J and I went on our honeymoon with BA they lost our luggage for 4 days. How to ruin a honeymoon by British Airways.
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You were on honeymoon and you needed clothes?? ;)

Cheers,
Magnus

There are risks in volunteering! A colleague flying back to the UK from Hawai`i for a few weeks volunteered in Washington for the usual hotel/upgrade/beer vouchers &c. Snowed in. 4 days. :*

Who said it was the clothes we were missing Magnus ;)

You didn't take the MIL surely??!! :uhoh:

Perhaps a single one-way ticket anywhere on their network might have been better - she'd just about have made it back by now :O