getting bumped

[iamfrugal]

I may be off topic.Sorry if so but we are flying in to Fort Lauderdale on dec.27 Due inat 11:30 pm from Minneapolis.Do you think there is a good chance of being bumped ? this will affect my bidding strategy.

[OSUBUCKEYES]

No, there is never a 'good chance' of being bumped, however the best chances appear to be weekday routes where business professional buy tickets at the last minute to attend daily meetings, ie morning flights from ORD to DCA or JFK to IAD, etc. An evening flight from MSP to FLL does not have a high probability of needing passengers to bump. Even conisering those factors I would estimate that maybe 2% of all the flights Ive been on gate agents have been offering to bump passengers. That is just my opinion and I it very well may be proven incorrect, however I would never ever assume or plan on being bumped.

[tokai]

Check the seating charts of the flights you want. Also check other dates of the same flight, same day of the week. You are looking for very few open seats. You might have to do this on the Airline's website.

In order to check seats, start a reservation, and pick the flights you want. Most airlines will allow you to select seats before purchasing the ticket.

Flights leaving on Friday at 5pm are usually good candidates for being bumped. However, Dec 27 is a holiday week, and vacation travelers mess everything up. My guess is that the Thursday before Christmas would be a busier day then the Thursday before New Years. More people are likely to skip out a day early for a week off around Christmas than to skip out a day early to make a long New Years weekend.

FYI: My guess is that the airlines will not give Priceline seats on their most popular flights (most likely to be overbooked). I would rather save $ upfront through priceline, rather than buy a regular ticket on the hopes of getting bumped. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[iamfrugal]

Very interesting comments.I have already booked my flight.I cannot use priceline because it originates in Canada.any strategy for arriving in so late 1130 pm.I thiught maybe the airport area before we go to our main hotel fora week. it has no availability until 29 dec.we are not renting a car until the next week and just want to get settled before midnight .travelling with a teen.