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Author Topic: United Airlines  (Read 40812 times)

jesmu84

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #250 on: April 29, 2017, 12:29:59 PM »
First, the flight was not overbooked.  So if those rules did not exist, this problem would still arise.

The reason overbooking exists is they do not allow transferring of tickets.  They charge you a hefty change fee.   You cannot simply hand your ticket to another family member/friend/co-worker to take your seat without paying a change fee.  This is where all the problems begin.

What they need to do is treat airline tickets like concert tickets, not refundable and fully transferrable.  You buy the seat, it is sold, done as far as the airline is concerned (same with the concert seat))  If you don't use it, that is your problem. 

Now the reason you don't use it is your plans change, so set up a ticket exchange (Expedia and Orbitz will have this ready in five minutes) where you can exchange your tickets for another seat on a different flight or even just sell it outright.

Last minute flyers can go on a ticket exchange and pay "scalper prices" to get on the flight of their choice
.  Low budget flyers can buy last minute seats at cut-rate prices (remember airline seats are like fresh vegetables, they have to be used or they are worthless, so you steeply discount the seat as the time of departure approaches because it is worth zero when the flight leaves.)

Capitalism works every time it is tried.  As soon as the airlines try this approach, they better everyone will be.

Oh good. I'm really excited to buy airline tickets just like concert tickets... you know, like when some individual or company uses a bot or early access to buy a crap-ton of tickets and then jacks up the price. Perfect.

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #251 on: April 29, 2017, 12:37:25 PM »
Oh good. I'm really excited to buy airline tickets just like concert tickets... you know, like when some individual or company uses a bot or early access to buy a crap-ton of tickets and then jacks up the price. Perfect.

Easy to prevent

StillAWarrior

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #252 on: April 29, 2017, 01:00:46 PM »
So which is it $400 to $800 or several thousand to get people out of their seat?  Becuase you agreed with this ...


I was proposing a way to prevent the airlines from paying thousands per seat ... maybe my mistake was listening to you in the first place.

You're not a very good reader, but that's nothing new.  Agreeing that it likely will never go above $5000 does not suggest in any way that I think it will often get over $1000.  I also said that my wife got $1000 and it was awesome.  So, to answer your question (which wouldn't need an answer if you had any reading comprehension), typically people will jump on these at the same price range they always have.  From time to time, it will go a little higher (as it did for my family once).  Maybe in rare situations it will go even higher.  And it likely will never go above $5000.  There is absolutely nothing inconsistent about any of that.  But keep fighting the fight for your ridiculous idea.  I'm surprised you have time to be posting here, what with the airlines probably ringing your phone off the hook.
Never wrestle with a pig.  You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.

StillAWarrior

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #253 on: April 29, 2017, 01:14:19 PM »
Easy to prevent

Incidentally, while there are wrinkles that would need to be worked out, I think there is some merit to this idea that you raised.  I'm not always against you. 
Never wrestle with a pig.  You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.

Herman Cain

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #254 on: April 29, 2017, 01:37:25 PM »
Airlines are classic example of business being run by Business School theoretical concepts as opposed to common sense and understanding of the Marquette. I have over 5 million air miles on the various airlines and have witnessed the continuous and steady downtrend.

The whole notion of optimization of the flight is fine in theory but in practice it will continue to cause problems. The customers are crammed into smaller and smaller seats and the  overhead bin capacity is fixed so the basic tension from all of that is quite high.The scramble just  to get on the planes puts people in a very bad mood.  The  overbooking so that every seat is full  makes matters worse. I would prefer to see the airlines go back to  less seats on the plane  and not overbook. Charge a correspondingly higher fare.

The airlines are putting resources into making the first class sections of international and coast to coast flights something that is attractive but they have gone the complete opposite direction with the bulk of the seats.

The other thing is beginning about 10 years ago the  authority of the gate agents has been diminished. It used to be that they had considerable discretion to deal with many matters. Today they have none. Everything exactly by the book , which is also a prescription for disaster.

The airline experience today is one of the most negative consumer experiences out there.


Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war.
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Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #255 on: April 29, 2017, 01:51:13 PM »
You're not a very good reader, but that's nothing new.  Agreeing that it likely will never go above $5000 does not suggest in any way that I think it will often get over $1000.  I also said that my wife got $1000 and it was awesome.  So, to answer your question (which wouldn't need an answer if you had any reading comprehension), typically people will jump on these at the same price range they always have.  From time to time, it will go a little higher (as it did for my family once).  Maybe in rare situations it will go even higher.  And it likely will never go above $5000.  There is absolutely nothing inconsistent about any of that.  But keep fighting the fight for your ridiculous idea.  I'm surprised you have time to be posting here, what with the airlines probably ringing your phone off the hook.

My idea was predicated on a way to save the airlines money.  Instead of offering $1,500, $2,000 or $3,000 for a seat, if they could entice someone with a $600 iPhone, they airline wins.

If you tell me $400 to $800 will get the vast majority out of their seat, then a $600 iPhone is not necessary.

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #256 on: April 29, 2017, 01:54:34 PM »
Incidentally, while there are wrinkles that would need to be worked out, I think there is some merit to this idea that you raised.  I'm not always against you.

To further this idea and answer the idea of bots buying tickets and "cornering" seats.

TSA rules will not allow bots to buy massive amounts of tickets and corner seats on a flight.  Every buyer has to provide a birthday (as the use it to identify you) so every buyer has to be and actual human being and they cannot be on the no-fly list.

StillAWarrior

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #257 on: April 29, 2017, 03:09:40 PM »
My idea was predicated on a way to save the airlines money.  Instead of offering $1,500, $2,000 or $3,000 for a seat, if they could entice someone with a $600 iPhone, they airline wins.

If you tell me $400 to $800 will get the vast majority out of their seat, then a $600 iPhone is not necessary.

I understand that, and I have several thoughts.  First, I do believe that in the vast majority of cases, $400 to $800 will get the job done.  Second, I believe that a $1,500 voucher for United's own product probably had a lower actual cost to the airline than a $600 iPhone.  Finally, I think that the vast majority of people would prefer the cash or flight voucher.

I'm sometimes amused that some people think these airlines (and other businesses) are profit above all ogres, but then think that they're just throwing money away.  Airlines offer flight vouchers because it works well for them, it's simple to administer and it doesn't cost them much money.
Never wrestle with a pig.  You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #258 on: April 29, 2017, 04:00:53 PM »
I understand that, and I have several thoughts.  First, I do believe that in the vast majority of cases, $400 to $800 will get the job done.  Second, I believe that a $1,500 voucher for United's own product probably had a lower actual cost to the airline than a $600 iPhone.  Finally, I think that the vast majority of people would prefer the cash or flight voucher.

I'm sometimes amused that some people think these airlines (and other businesses) are profit above all ogres, but then think that they're just throwing money away.  Airlines offer flight vouchers because it works well for them, it's simple to administer and it doesn't cost them much money.

Now, this argument against it makes sense, unlike those argument that it would take hundreds of employees or create a bureaucratic nightmare.  Such a program is not hard to implement, but I realize this is United and they can probably turn it into a mess.

I should have been more clear before ... would you rather have a $600 iPhone or $1000 credit to buy an airline ticket.  No airline is giving you actually cash but a credit to buy another airline ticket.

Yes, a credit for another ticket is a non-cash expense that will result in a loss of revenue (when the credit is used) and not an expense to hit the bottom line.  If the accounting treatment is the issue, then trade iPhones with Apple (or Cubs tickets, or whatever) for airline travel credits on United.  That makes it the economically the same for United (and Apple gets to buy corporate travel without spending actual cash). Then whatever results in a lower cost is the way to go for United.

But if the vast majority of people will take less than $800, and not thousands and thousands as suggested before, then no reason to do it.

Another idea instead of an iPhone, instead of offering a $79 room at the O'Hare Hilton, offer a $299 room in the loop and a dinner voucher at a decent restaurant.  So forget the iPhone, offer a semi-decent night in Chicago instead of a quasi-prison cell at the O'Hare Hilton and a credit to buy another ticket.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2017, 04:10:59 PM by 1.21 Jigawatts »

dgies9156

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #259 on: April 29, 2017, 04:50:02 PM »
I think if the airlines got creative, they could get people to give up their seats for far less.

Imagine if a United supervisor walked on the plane took to the loud speaker and said they needed four seats and the first four that raised their handed got

"this new unlocked jet black IPhone 7" (about $600) or, ...

How many of you people have actually spent any time with the airline industry? Not many based on these answers.

Rule 1 in the Industry: NEVER FORK OUT CASH FOR ANYTHING!!!!

Rule 2 in the Industry: YOU GET FIRED IMMEDIATELY FOR BREAKING RULE 1!

Denied boarding compensation isn't cash. It's the right to buy a United ticket on a future flight. If they give you discounts on future airfare, OK, maybe that makes sense. But, a $1,000 credit against two trips to Europe or the Far East, well, isn't a huge number but may help at the margin. So if you want two round-trips to Wichita via Houston and Denver, yeup. But to London, Paris or the Far East, forget it!

Your creativity is cash. The iPhone is cash out the door. So are the Cubs tickets. And, to Chick's point, they will require a bureaucracy because the United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, has a phrase for Iphones, Cubs Tickets and, yes, cash...

Taxable Income.

And it has to be reported. Which means a 1099 for everyone who gets creative compensation.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2017, 04:53:37 PM by dgies9156 »

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #260 on: April 29, 2017, 05:16:55 PM »
How many of you people have actually spent any time with the airline industry? Not many based on these answers.

Rule 1 in the Industry: NEVER FORK OUT CASH FOR ANYTHING!!!!

Rule 2 in the Industry: YOU GET FIRED IMMEDIATELY FOR BREAKING RULE 1!

Denied boarding compensation isn't cash. It's the right to buy a United ticket on a future flight. If they give you discounts on future airfare, OK, maybe that makes sense. But, a $1,000 credit against two trips to Europe or the Far East, well, isn't a huge number but may help at the margin. So if you want two round-trips to Wichita via Houston and Denver, yeup. But to London, Paris or the Far East, forget it!

Your creativity is cash. The iPhone is cash out the door. So are the Cubs tickets. And, to Chick's point, they will require a bureaucracy because the United States Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, has a phrase for Iphones, Cubs Tickets and, yes, cash...

Taxable Income.

And it has to be reported. Which means a 1099 for everyone who gets creative compensation.

Stop with the bureaucracy.  Reporting to the IRS is a one time deal involving a few lines of code.  Welcome to 2017, no one employs "accountants" filling in spreadsheets with #2 pencils, or even using excel.

The non-cash argument makes sense.




warriorchick

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #261 on: April 29, 2017, 07:24:50 PM »
Stop with the bureaucracy.  Reporting to the IRS is a one time deal involving a few lines of code.  Welcome to 2017, no one employs "accountants" filling in spreadsheets with #2 pencils, or even using excel.

The non-cash argument makes sense.

It is not a "few lines of code".  You would have to have the passenger fill out a W-9 with their name, address. and social security number (and that would probably have to be done before the plane takes off), make sure that form gets to the accounting department, enter that information into the ERP system, send out thousands of 1099s at the end of the year, and then deal with hundreds of phone calls from people who received the 1099 who want to argue about the dollar value you placed on their IPhone.  I know; in my organization, I am responsible for all that kind of stuff.

Have some patience, FFS.

Herman Cain

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #262 on: April 29, 2017, 08:29:13 PM »
It is not a "few lines of code".  You would have to have the passenger fill out a W-9 with their name, address. and social security number (and that would probably have to be done before the plane takes off), make sure that form gets to the accounting department, enter that information into the ERP system, send out thousands of 1099s at the end of the year, and then deal with hundreds of phone calls from people who received the 1099 who want to argue about the dollar value you placed on their IPhone.  I know; in my organization, I am responsible for all that kind of stuff.
You need to get a big bonus from your company at the end of the year .
Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war.
                       ---Al McGuire

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #263 on: April 29, 2017, 11:23:31 PM »
It is not a "few lines of code".  You would have to have the passenger fill out a W-9 with their name, address. and social security number (and that would probably have to be done before the plane takes off), make sure that form gets to the accounting department, enter that information into the ERP system, send out thousands of 1099s at the end of the year, and then deal with hundreds of phone calls from people who received the 1099 who want to argue about the dollar value you placed on their IPhone.  I know; in my organization, I am responsible for all that kind of stuff.

Huh ... before the plane takes off?  The plane is leaving the next day.  Are you suggesting that have to do all this before you get out of the seat you're giving up thus holding up everyone else?  Completely unnecessary.

All the information to generate a 1099 is already in the system and it can flag you for the rest.  The "accounting department" is a computer program.  This is all mechanical stuff that requires no human interaction.  It is just filling out forms on a computer screen that already has 80% of the information.  Since no judgment involved in the process, no employees are needed.

(JP Morgan produces millions of 1099 a year.  Can you point me to the several hundred thousand employees that do this?  IF you not sure, try zero, the system produces all of it automatically.  All they need is electricity.)

All you people that are insisting that this is too hard, too complicated requires too many people ... let me introduce you to the retail industry, the newspaper industry, the taxi industiry, the hotel industry (AirBNB).  Becuase you have exactly the attitude that makes you next.

----

As noted above, the reason this would not be done is it does not save money.  The idea that this is not doable because it requires too much bureaucracy does not recognize the reality of 2017.

dgies9156

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #264 on: April 30, 2017, 06:14:04 AM »
Huh ... before the plane takes off?  The plane is leaving the next day.  Are you suggesting that have to do all this before you get out of the seat you're giving up thus holding up everyone else?  Completely unnecessary.

All the information to generate a 1099 is already in the system and it can flag you for the rest.
As noted above, the reason this would not be done is it does not save money.  The idea that this is not doable because it requires too much bureaucracy does not recognize the reality of 2017.

Jig:  Afraid not. United does not have access to my Social Security number, for one thing. They have a Mileage Plus number which has my name and address. It also captures my activity with United since 1984. It does not capture confidential customer information.

I know they have contractors and other employees but adding systems and compliance is incredibly expensive just to give an iPhone or Cubs tickets away. While I'll acknowledge that United has sophisticated reporting and security systems in place for its IT on payments and on employee and customer confidential information, each of these systems has their own protocols and requires a significant investment in people and equipment. While talented, I question whether an airline's team could just heap more responsibility and a new reporting system on these people.

This isn't AirBnb or Uber. United carries more than 430,000 passengers worldwide each day. They have to position nearly 1.000 aircraft, 20,000 pilots and only God knows how many flight attendants, mechanical staff, gate agents and support personnel. For on-board teams, they must make sure they're not "over the limit" both daily and monthly. It does take a massive support team to make this happen.

A seemingly simple task, like an iPhone give-away, sorry to say, has regulations and reporting requirements that for most companies create a ridiculously expensive compliance burden. Our current President is trying to deregulate but "Draining the Swamp" is proving much harder than he thought!

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #265 on: April 30, 2017, 08:02:52 AM »
Jig:  Afraid not. United does not have access to my Social Security number, for one thing. They have a Mileage Plus number which has my name and address. It also captures my activity with United since 1984. It does not capture confidential customer information.

I know they have contractors and other employees but adding systems and compliance is incredibly expensive just to give an iPhone or Cubs tickets away. While I'll acknowledge that United has sophisticated reporting and security systems in place for its IT on payments and on employee and customer confidential information, each of these systems has their own protocols and requires a significant investment in people and equipment. While talented, I question whether an airline's team could just heap more responsibility and a new reporting system on these people.

This isn't AirBnb or Uber. United carries more than 430,000 passengers worldwide each day. They have to position nearly 1.000 aircraft, 20,000 pilots and only God knows how many flight attendants, mechanical staff, gate agents and support personnel. For on-board teams, they must make sure they're not "over the limit" both daily and monthly. It does take a massive support team to make this happen.

A seemingly simple task, like an iPhone give-away, sorry to say, has regulations and reporting requirements that for most companies create a ridiculously expensive compliance burden. Our current President is trying to deregulate but "Draining the Swamp" is proving much harder than he thought!

The IRS previously ruled an airline voucher for an overbooked flight is deferred income and a taxable event, it must be reported and documented as such.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/0605011.pdf

However,m the IRS also ruled that a 1099 is not required by the airline.  You have to voluntarily report it.  So none of the above applies.  The form of the compensation does not change the airline reporting responsibility.

warriorchick

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #266 on: April 30, 2017, 08:21:34 AM »
The IRS previously ruled an airline voucher for an overbooked flight is deferred income and a taxable event, it must be reported and documented as such.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/0605011.pdf

However,m the IRS also ruled that a 1099 is not required by the airline.  You have to voluntarily report it.  So none of the above applies.  The form of the compensation does not change the airline reporting responsibility.

A voucher for a service is different from actual merchandise.  But I guess you know better than someone who actually does this for a living, so I will defer to your obsessive need to be right about this. And everything else, for that matter.
Have some patience, FFS.

dgies9156

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #267 on: April 30, 2017, 08:36:14 AM »
A voucher for a service is different from actual merchandise.  But I guess you know better than someone who actually does this for a living, so I will defer to your obsessive need to be right about this. And everything else, for that matter.

Chick, I defer to you!

Father Ryan woman, Marquette grad and CFO. I suspect you know!

Tugg Speedman

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #268 on: April 30, 2017, 08:51:00 AM »
A voucher for a service is different from actual merchandise.  But I guess you know better than someone who actually does this for a living, so I will defer to your obsessive need to be right about this. And everything else, for that matter.

Except you failed to mention that $600 is the limit for the 1099.  So a $600 iPhone will not generate one.

But you're probably right on this but everything that is wrong with corporate America and why all the money and power is going to Silicon Valley is your insistence that it would take hundreds of employees for the airline to send out a few thousand 1099-MISC.

The Rise of the 1099 Economy
DEC 11, 2015 12:31 PM EST

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-12-11/the-gig-economy-is-showing-up-in-irs-s-1099-forms



WarriorInNYC

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #269 on: May 01, 2017, 07:40:32 AM »
So which is it $400 to $800 or several thousand to get people out of their seat?  Becuase you agreed with this ...


I was proposing a way to prevent the airlines from paying thousands per seat ... maybe my mistake was listening to you in the first place.

First time getting back on here since my last post, but you completely took my $5k comment out of context.

In every overbooked situation I've seen in person, it's never gone above $500. I said I thought it would never go above $5k. I honestly don't think it will go above $2k, but I was attempting to take a conservative approach.

WarriorInNYC

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #270 on: May 01, 2017, 09:02:24 AM »
Why do gift cards exist in the first place?  Or, more to the point, why aren't Visa/Mastercard "cash" gift cards far and away the most popular?  After all, they are cash, good anywhere.

The answer is the higher-end stores are aspirational.  Some would like to shop there, or get a new iPhone, or go to the cubs game in nice seats but cannot get themselves to do it because of their budget.  But when offered the chance to "just say yes" at it's yours, for the mild inconvenience of flying the next day, many would jump at this.  This is why it is called "aspirational" and many assign it a higher value than the same amount of cash. 

Earlier we had these two post ...

If you guys honestly think it is going into the thousands to get people out of their seats, and I can do it for one $600 iPhone (and free ride home and back to the airport, or a night in the lovely O'Hare Hilton, plus a rebooking), United will pay me so much for saving them millions that I will be flying private the rest of my life.


And it will not take more than a few minutes.  120 people on the plane, need four seats.  Who wants an iPhone to take the flight tomorrow?  Four hands go up. Done, get your stuff and get off the plane and we will sort it out after it leaves.  It took me longer to type this than the process will take.

People don't give out gift cards because they are "aspirational".  They give out gift cards because they are more personal than cash.

Instead of giving someone $50, you give them $50 in an REI giftcard because you know they like to go fishing or something.  This has nothing to do with aspiration.

And again, I definitely do not think it will take thousands to get people out of their seats.  I'm sure that will occur a handful of times per year, but the majority of the time, this is settled around $400 (in my experience).

And on your last part, I like how you say it won't take more than a few minutes, because you are assuming that there are going to be 4 people on the flight, that are willing to reschedule their flight by receiving an iPhone.  I said it would take quite some time because you are not going to find 4 people willing to do so right away (I'm sure this could potentially happen once or twice).

Instead, based on what you are proposing, you would then have to switch to some other prize.  And then when not enough people take that, to another prize, and then maybe a gift card to a store, then maybe a gift card to another store, and then maybe you need to increase the value of the gift card to the first store, and on and on.

StillAWarrior

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #271 on: May 01, 2017, 09:42:04 AM »
People don't give out gift cards because they are "aspirational".  They give out gift cards because they are more personal than cash.

Instead of giving someone $50, you give them $50 in an REI giftcard because you know they like to go fishing or something.  This has nothing to do with aspiration.

And again, I definitely do not think it will take thousands to get people out of their seats.  I'm sure that will occur a handful of times per year, but the majority of the time, this is settled around $400 (in my experience).

And on your last part, I like how you say it won't take more than a few minutes, because you are assuming that there are going to be 4 people on the flight, that are willing to reschedule their flight by receiving an iPhone.  I said it would take quite some time because you are not going to find 4 people willing to do so right away (I'm sure this could potentially happen once or twice).

Instead, based on what you are proposing, you would then have to switch to some other prize.  And then when not enough people take that, to another prize, and then maybe a gift card to a store, then maybe a gift card to another store, and then maybe you need to increase the value of the gift card to the first store, and on and on.

I think that what you've said here makes a lot of sense.  I think one of the reasons that the current system works pretty well is the predictability.  Everyone knows what is being offered, and likely what the next offer is.  If they offer a $400 voucher, I can decide if I want that, knowing that the next offer is likely to be a $600 or $800 voucher.  There is not a lot of delay caused by people thinking, "Ooh, I kind of like that Bloomingdale's gift card, but I wonder what's coming next."  Everyone knows what is coming next, so they can decide.

I can't speak with any particular expertise about exactly how many people it would take to administer something like this, but I am absolutely confident that it is significantly greater than zero.  There would absolutely be cost associated over and above the cost of the items to be distributed.

The other factor that I think has to be considered when discussing the cost/value of the vouchers is airlines' costs of acquiring/keeping customers.  When you give a voucher, you get one of two things.  Either the person doesn't use the voucher (unlikely, but in which case the voucher cost the airline nothing) or the person flies on your airline again.  And if they're flying on your airline, they are not flying on your competitor's airlines.  In cases where the voucher doesn't cover the cost of the next flight, you have incremental revenue of whatever they purchase.  In cases where the voucher does cover the cost of the flight, it "costs" the airline more, but they have retained the customer.  Airlines go to great lengths  to provide benefits to their customers -- free flights, upgrades, etc.  They spend huge amounts of money trying to build brand loyalty.  By giving a voucher, they encourage loyalty. 
Never wrestle with a pig.  You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.


warriorchick

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #273 on: May 04, 2017, 03:37:39 PM »
http://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/a-family-was-kicked-off-a-delta-flight-and-threatened-with-jail-because-they-wanted-to-kick-a-baby-in-a-car-seat-off-an-overbooked-flight/

This guy was clearly in the wrong.  He did not have a ticket in his kid's name, and he thought he would get by with a workaround.  Every person sitting in a seat has to have a ticket with his/her name on it.  That's for security reasons.

I had a SW flight held up once because it was completely sold out, and a woman put her baby (who was supposed to be a lap-sitter) in a seat, causing another passenger to be without one.  She was asked if she had purchased a ticket for the baby, and even though she knew that the flight was full, she lied and said she had. Instead of saying, "Okay, I'm busted", and putting the kid back into her lap, she forced the airline to go back to the computer at the gate and prove that there was no ticket in her baby's name.  People are a$$holes.
Have some patience, FFS.

TAMU, Knower of Ball

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Re: United Airlines
« Reply #274 on: May 04, 2017, 03:58:25 PM »
This guy was clearly in the wrong.  He did not have a ticket in his kid's name, and he thought he would get by with a workaround.  Every person sitting in a seat has to have a ticket with his/her name on it.  That's for security reasons.

I had a SW flight held up once because it was completely sold out, and a woman put her baby (who was supposed to be a lap-sitter) in a seat, causing another passenger to be without one.  She was asked if she had purchased a ticket for the baby, and even though she knew that the flight was full, she lied and said she had. Instead of saying, "Okay, I'm busted", and putting the kid back into her lap, she forced the airline to go back to the computer at the gate and prove that there was no ticket in her baby's name.  People are a$$holes.

He was wrong about the baby being able to use the seat they paid for, sucks but they were wrong. Should have called ahead and I assume Delta would have let him switch the name on the ticket.

However, the article does say that the dad agreed to carry the baby and Delta kicked his family off after the fact. I wasn't there so I don't know how disruptive the family was, but if the issue had been solved, I think its bad customer service to kick the family off.
TAMU

I do know, Newsie is right on you knowing ball.