United Asking for Volunteers Online

It’s a good idea, but it looks like you still have to show up at the airport and take your chances. It would be nice if they offered you the compensation and alternate flight times there-and-then, when you do the online checkin. Otherwise you still have the airport hassle and volunteer lottery.

I think this is definitely a good thing–I agree with you that a lot of people are more likely to volunteer if it doesn’t mean committing to spending several hours at the airport after they’ve already checked in. Just wondering, did they offer alternative forms of compensation, or just the free ticket?

As another new item, UA seems to have taken to printing elite passengers’ status in big, very visible, block letters on the boarding passes from OLCI.

The goal of course is to get the right number of customers to accept the cheapest offer to get the exact number of volunteers needed, no more, and no less.

Honestly some type of yield management should come into play here. Combined with some data mining (especially through frequent flyer programs, and tickets sold directly) is what should be in play here.

Part of what annoys people about the whole voluntary denied boarding, and involuntary denied boarding is how it seems kinda arbitrary. Come to think of it this is the same thing that annoys people about airline fares, but I digress.

Here is what I think they should do. Throw everything that is cheaper than an involuntary denied boarding into the pot. Include things like free coupons for the buy onboard meals, tickets for attractions at the destination (this is where the vacations division gets to play), first class, free alcoholic drinks, a single night hotel stay, frequent flier miles, a day pass to the airport club, a meal voucher at the airport, etc. This is the spot where brainstorming is important.

Then instead of offering the screen that says “would you like to be on the list” ask “would you like to take a quick survey?” Then you’d have four questions in this format: “If United offered you (item) and called you by (time) to (delay/push up) your departure time to (time) which would get you to (city) at (time) would you accept?” Ask this question four time with different fill ins, if necessary incentivize people to answer this with 50 or 100 frequent flier miles.. Perhaps you’d want something really big to change your flight at the last moment, but if you changed it at an earlier time you’d accept something of a lesser value.

You might not use this data directly but it would provide a huge database to mine as to how time and reward preferences work. At the same time you would also use it to preemptively change people’s flights. I’m not sure how far in advance airlines reliably that the flight is overbooked, but by a certain time before departure there is must be a certain confidence that the flight will be overbooked and overchecked-in. (We’re really worried about overcheck-ins, not overbooking.)

So in action this works by having Joan Q Public check in, letting her preferences be known, and receiving a phone call on her cell phone that her flight has been changed. Hopefully that is early enough that she can enjoy a more relaxed dinner, or maybe catch a movie. And since Joan has gotten benefits out of it as well its cheaper all around.

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So a Question for you CF… Any clue why I go after all these ideas without getting paid? This isn’t the first time that I’ve done something like this on an airline blog….

CF, the more and more I think about it you’re right its a little too complicated in my initial edition.

One thing to consider is that I don’t think that only connecting passengers are a less likely group to go after for voluntary bumping. So say you’re flying BGM-PHL-SFO, on your way home from visiting your aunt. What happens if US Airways on check in pops up with “Would you like to spend a free night in the birthplace of America? If so, we’ll let you know once you land in Philadelphia if we’ll give you a free hotel stay and transportation in the nation’s capital!” (Works for Chicago, NYC, among other hubs.)

Plus if the airline plays their cards right they work out a rate with the hotel that allows them to book rooms at reasonably nice hotels 6 PM for $50 or so if the hotel has an excess of rooms. The hotel will usually happily lower the price to get something for the room.

US Airways in this case gets the benefit of giving their customer something tangible as a cool benefit, and perhaps the passenger doesn’t even realize they’ve been bumped. Sure there are some logistical issues to crack with bags and notifications but its within reason.

BTW, I like what you’re doing with the blog upgrades..