A ticket that allows a years stay is more expensive that the normal 90 day excurison nonrefundable ticket unless you are a student or a teacher, which would then you can purchased a ticket, valid for a year, often for less than the 90 day excursion nonrefundable ticket.

Also, when you buy a roundtrip ticket, which if less than a oneway ticket, and don’t use the return, the airline can legally required the purchaser to pay the difference if the airline catches it. So basically you broke the airlines rule…which I don’t like either…so that really isn’t a customer service issue, it is the consumer not knowing the rules of the fare issued.

In addition, how on earth do you know what type of ticket – flexible or non-refundable, etc – my mother purchased? You don’t! Again, get off it; you’re making assumptions that give you no credit whatsoever. My bottom line is that my mother did NOT get what she paid for – she got less, and United’s customer service/policy/whatever sector wasn’t up to snuff.

Since when is getting less than what you paid for – and, as you so nicely stated, agreed to the rules on – acceptable? Do you ever pay for a burger and only get half? And while on that tangent, bumping is similar: yes, we all know airlines overbook, it’s a travel-industry-wide practice that’s essential for revenue (I’m in the hotel business so I’m not walking blind here, thank you), but when you buy flight tickets, you have to buy them FOR A SPECIFIC DEPARTURE TIME. No one ever buys tickets that say “Your departure time is at our discretion – good luck!” Involuntary bumping SHOULD be compensated for that reason.

I have to think that the cases above are unfortunately isolated cases. Lately, with the ridiculous booking levels the “experts” in inventory management have been leaving the airport staff, there have been tons of denied boardings. Of course, there tend to be less volunteers when the planes are filled with families on pre-arranged vacations.

Actually, gate agents change jobs less than others at the airport. They tend to be more senior. Of course, they may also be more numb after the pay cuts and treatment of the last eight years, especially.

I recently had a family volunteer off an oversold London flight. After working to get the flight out while simultaneously arranging their new flights, seats and hotel, I realized after we all left the gate area that I never gave them the credit we agreed to. Fortunately, I was able to grab them and do so. There are a lot of things going on, and in these situations, some people are not the most calm. Things can get overlooked, but I imagine it is unintended.

Airline personnel certainly has ZERO investment in not giving out the compensation for denied boardings. In fact, many give too much.

Just remember, the people working to accommodate you never CAUSE the situation, but are simply the ones left to deal with it. Screaming at them, being nasty, etc. will NEVER help you. In fact, trust me, it will make it worse for you. Plus, we know, everyone HAS to be on the flight.

Case in point: back in 2005, my mother & I went to Paris for a week – she paid for both tickets. Since I was planning on staying for a year but it wouldn’t be entirely official until I got to France, my ticket was round-trip as well, just in case. Well, I stayed, Mom left, and not only did United fill the seat in my name (that, again, SHE paid for), they wouldn’t refund the cost of the seat to my mother. So essentially she paid for two seats and only got one – as well as the other person paying for that seat?!

I wish I could run a business like that.. have two cookies, make three people pay for them, and then say sorry I only have two… and keep the third person’s money.

Gate agents change jobs – frequently. Who would want that job if they could get something else? So, ‘due to turnover, we regret our training has not been as thorough as we would like it to be,’ even though the lack of training is only in areas that cost the airline money, while all the fees have probably been trained to death.

What is the answer? Why would anyone tell a customer “oops, sorry, our fault, we have to pay you some money?” Be serious here.