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Home  >  United Airlines • vdb  >  United Makes It Easier To Give Up Your Seat
United Airlinesvdb

United Makes It Easier To Give Up Your Seat

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 18, 2018December 18, 2018 17 Comments

United Airlines is making it easier than ever to volunteer your seat in an oversell situation. New technology on the mobile app, united.com, and airport check-in kiosks will provide more options, including instantly confirmable alternate flight arrangements (with compensation).

The goal behind this new technology is to further reduce involuntary denied boardings (IDBs), situations in which a confirmed passenger is forced off a flight against her will. While noting that overbooking situations remain a reality of flying, United highlights that IDBs are down 97% since last November over the same period a year earlier:

Flights can become overbooked for many reasons – weather, mechanical issues and air traffic control issues are just a few – and when this happens, airlines ask for volunteers who are willing to take a different flight in exchange for compensation like a travel voucher. We’ve gotten better and better at this, with automated solutions that allow customers to bid for the compensation they’d accept to be rebooked, along with policies and procedures that help smooth the way. In fact, United’s recent efforts have already resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of involuntary denied boardings (IDBs) that occur, which have dropped 97 percent  year to date through November versus the same period last year.

Consequently, United is rolling out the following new features in overbooking situations:

  • Ability to volunteer on specific flight options that appear at airport kiosks, on united.com, and on the United mobile app
  • Earlier volunteer opportunities – up to 24 hours prior to departure versus on the day of travel
  • More options for selecting flights
  • Compensation option in miles instead of just travel credits
  • Ability to self-rebook on a different flight during check-in

Airports with common-use kiosks (the ones that several airlines share) will not see these added VDB options until next year, but most airports as well as the mobile app and united.com will offer these enhanced options starting this week.

CONCLUSION

I have not had a “bump” in several years now…I do miss those old days of much more aggressive overbooking on the pre-merger United side. But I appreciate the new technology which takes some of the guessing game out of volunteering your seat. More importantly, it seems to offer a win-win choice for both passenger and United.

Have you experienced United’s new volunteer solicitation enhancements?

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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17 Comments

  1. Kyle Stewart Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    I love this option and the ability to do so within the app.

  2. Mark Lloyd Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    The goal behind this new technology is to further reduce involuntary denied boardings (IDBs), situations in which a confirmed passenger is forced off a flight against her will.

    Her?! Should that be their will?!

  3. Mark Lloyd Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Against “her” will or “their” will? You make it sound like only women are getting involuntarily bumped from a flight.

    • Matthew Reply
      December 18, 2018 at 1:48 pm

      Their is plural…a pet peeve of my mine. I’d rather use a single gender than his/her, thus I tend to use her. But not “their”.

      • MDR Reply
        December 18, 2018 at 2:25 pm

        One can try to avoid the problem by pluralizing things, as in “The goal behind this new technology is to further reduce involuntary denied boardings (IDBs), situations in which confirmed passengers are forced off flights against their will”. It’s not optimal, and it doesn’t work in all situations, but it does avoid the him/her (hir?) clunkiness.

        I must say too that United’s app is pretty good, and is noticeably better than Delta’s and (especially) AA’s.

      • Sexy_kitten7 Reply
        December 18, 2018 at 9:48 pm

        LOL Well in this political environment, “their” is probably safer. As you are a lawyer, I’m surprised you don’t revert to the standard “his or her.”

      • Mattt Reply
        December 19, 2018 at 5:26 am

        Perhaps unfortunately, “their” is becoming acceptable in both singular and plural usage. I know it’s not correct but it avoids hearing from twats like Mark

        • Mark Lloyd Reply
          December 19, 2018 at 8:10 am

          Awe, did I trigger you? When he singles out “her”, it makes it sound like only women get bumped. Stop being a cuntcake.

  4. Joel M Herrera Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 6:40 pm

    I was fired from United airlines in 2015 Sept. For being on work release. To bad for me I just can’t get my seat back with UAL. I would have had 29years.know. but I am happy for the people,. JMHerrera

  5. Ryan Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    I don’t see how it does not constitute fraud when an airline intentionally sells seats that don’t exist. Intentionally overbooking an aircraft should be no different than a person accepting money for goods and then not providing them to the buyer. That would land any individual in jail….why are the airlines allowed to do so? I could see the restitution for some circumstances of missing a trip being quite costly. They should have to pay restitution for that, damages, and court costs like any other person or business would.

    • Thomas Reply
      December 19, 2018 at 12:34 am

      Then we will see all refundable fares go away. Cancel your fare, and lose the entire thing.

      Why is it okay for someone to book a ticket, and cancel it shortly before departure, depriving the airline of the ability to have that seat sold?

      This is why….

      • Belinda Reply
        December 19, 2018 at 7:16 pm

        jetBlue has refundable fares. jetBlue doesn’t oversell their flights.

    • Mattt Reply
      December 19, 2018 at 5:29 am

      Man, Ryan, I hope you get a refund from the University of Phoenix law school for an education not received… what an incredibly simplistic and uninformed thing to say. Did it sound better in your head?

    • Toan Reply
      December 19, 2018 at 11:09 am

      I agree with Ryan. If I paid for a ticket, regardless of whether I checked in first or last, I shouldn’t be denied access because the airline (not just United) cared more about profits than your travel plan. No one will complaint about this until you are IDB and left on the ground in a foreign country.

  6. Peter McKenna Reply
    December 18, 2018 at 9:57 pm

    United oversold then cancelled my flight from Montreal to Virginia claiming rhe crew didnt show. However that same flight had been cancelled many times prior to and after my flight. Delayed my trip by over 24 hours. Gave a food viucher that ourchased a bowl of soup and 150 flight credit. I will NEVER fly United again. Missed a days work because of their lie, no compensation for missed work. Bunch of thieves.

  7. LadyJ Reply
    December 19, 2018 at 9:37 am

    What happens when your physically challenged (on crutches/walking boot) while traveling and arrive for your flight on time and sue to weather they return to the gate and change gates clear across the terminal and then back to the original without notification. You miss the flight and bounced around for an entire day and still can’t get on a flight. Now on the next day of which they’ve secured confirmation when you arrive timely to the gate to be told again that the gate changed to one clear across the terminal and they call for the courtesy car and get to the gate and be told that they just closed the door you’re too late. Missed the opening events & registration for a work conference. Again the new flight is across the terminal (I’ve been to every quadrant of the terminal at that point) and finally able to get on the plane. Oh did I mention that no one at any point of my being inconvenienced offered a meal voucher for my trouble, until the final leg and just prior to waiting for the flight I was able to get on. I appreciate her customer service. Fortunately I was near my children who was able to pick me up and bring me back to the airport or I would have spent the night there which would have been a disaster.

  8. Lee @ BaldThoughts Reply
    December 20, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    This is such great technology. Hopefully, more airlines will adopt this technology to avoid such ugly incidents.

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