Several years ago I was visiting my old youth minister in Norfolk, Virginia. As I was preparing to fly home he asked me if I ever took a later flight for a free voucher. I had not heard of what he was talking about…but this little introduction to “how to get a free plane ticket” has proved to be very fruitful in my flying experiences. I often fly home with a $200 voucher here, a $400 voucher there, but never have I returned home with 3 free round trip tickets (anywhere in the continental US)…until this past spring. The secret is this – many airlines often overbook their flights. When this happens and everyone shows up to fly…they begin to offer vouchers to anyone who can take a later flight…so they do not have to “kick” someone off. The following story is an account of how I have continued to sacrificially help airlines who have overbooked…by taking a later flight…or something like that.
This past April I flew to NC to preach for youth a retreat at Ft. Caswell, for the North Carolina Baptist Convention. When the weekend was over I was dropped off at the airport around 1:30 pm. My flight was not supposed to leave Willmington until 4:50ish, followed by a good layover in Charlotte and then into Louisville at about 11:15 pm. This particular weekend I was traveling alone without Susan so I was excited to get back home to her. Nevertheless, I still asked the folks at the check in counter (before I went through security and to the gate) if my flight was by chance overbooked. I did not really want to get in later than 11:15 but the curiosity got to me. My flight was indeed overbooked. I asked if there was another flight to Louisville. The lady behind the counter spent a minute typing in her computer. She then told me that they could give me ground transportation to Raleigh (buy me a cab ride) which was a 2 hour drive and then fly me from Raleigh through Pittsburg into Louisville with an arrival time at 9:30 – an hour and a half earlier than usual. They would do all this as well as give me a free voucher to fly anywhere in the continental US. That’s right…get home earlier to Susan with a free ticket! However typical policy is that they cannot offer you a voucher until about 45 minutes to an hour before the flight. I kindly talked to the lady at the counter and told her… “hey I’m here, and willing to take it…you know you are going to need me to, so lets just do it.” I watched her go and speak to her supervisor about it and….Yes! They said, “Okay, we’ll do it.” So five minutes later I walked out the door and hopped in a cab on my way to Raleigh. I got decent reading done in the cab, although my cab driver was a character to say the least. Once I arrived in Raleigh I went on through security to the gate…of coarse I asked them if they were overbooked too! They were not, so I settled in and got something to eat…excited that I would be getting home earlier that I anticipated with a free ticket.
About 40 minutes before my flight was to leave, the worker at my gate came over the intercom offering 2 free round trip tickets to anyone who could take a later flight. " They weren’t over booked,” I thought as I darted up to the counter. The plane was too heavy, not overbooked. So I asked… “Can you get me to Louisville tonight?” After about 30 seconds typing away on her computer, she says, “We can fly you out of here (Raleigh) into Charlotte (my original connecting/layover location) and into Louisville at 11:15. That’s right. On the exact same connection flight of my original flight! Because of my dreadful inconvenience they awarded me 2 free round trip tickets…that is, in addition to my first. You got…2 + 1 = 3! Three free roundtrip tickets anywhere in the continental US and arriving back in Louisville on the same flight that I was going to from the beginning! So all I was out, was a 2 hour cab ride to Raleigh that I didn't pay for and I came home on time with 3 free tickets. Gotta love it!
Tips for receiving one of these free flights yourself.
1) Try to schedule your flight on Sunday evening/afternoons. This is the time most overbooking occurs.
2) Arrive early and ask the person at your gate if your flight is overbooked. Kindly let them know that you would be willing to take a later flight and give them your name.
3) Try to have a flexible schedule so that you do not “have” to be somewhere at a certain time and thus can afford the delay.
4) Delta offers plane vouchers in money amounts(not cash but $200 toward your next flight); US Air offers free roundtrip tickets. You cannot use the vouchers with things like Expedia, Cheaptickets, or Orbitz. You have to get them from the company so US Air is the best way to go!
5) Travel with an ipod or a good book and enjoy!
This past April I flew to NC to preach for youth a retreat at Ft. Caswell, for the North Carolina Baptist Convention. When the weekend was over I was dropped off at the airport around 1:30 pm. My flight was not supposed to leave Willmington until 4:50ish, followed by a good layover in Charlotte and then into Louisville at about 11:15 pm. This particular weekend I was traveling alone without Susan so I was excited to get back home to her. Nevertheless, I still asked the folks at the check in counter (before I went through security and to the gate) if my flight was by chance overbooked. I did not really want to get in later than 11:15 but the curiosity got to me. My flight was indeed overbooked. I asked if there was another flight to Louisville. The lady behind the counter spent a minute typing in her computer. She then told me that they could give me ground transportation to Raleigh (buy me a cab ride) which was a 2 hour drive and then fly me from Raleigh through Pittsburg into Louisville with an arrival time at 9:30 – an hour and a half earlier than usual. They would do all this as well as give me a free voucher to fly anywhere in the continental US. That’s right…get home earlier to Susan with a free ticket! However typical policy is that they cannot offer you a voucher until about 45 minutes to an hour before the flight. I kindly talked to the lady at the counter and told her… “hey I’m here, and willing to take it…you know you are going to need me to, so lets just do it.” I watched her go and speak to her supervisor about it and….Yes! They said, “Okay, we’ll do it.” So five minutes later I walked out the door and hopped in a cab on my way to Raleigh. I got decent reading done in the cab, although my cab driver was a character to say the least. Once I arrived in Raleigh I went on through security to the gate…of coarse I asked them if they were overbooked too! They were not, so I settled in and got something to eat…excited that I would be getting home earlier that I anticipated with a free ticket.
About 40 minutes before my flight was to leave, the worker at my gate came over the intercom offering 2 free round trip tickets to anyone who could take a later flight. " They weren’t over booked,” I thought as I darted up to the counter. The plane was too heavy, not overbooked. So I asked… “Can you get me to Louisville tonight?” After about 30 seconds typing away on her computer, she says, “We can fly you out of here (Raleigh) into Charlotte (my original connecting/layover location) and into Louisville at 11:15. That’s right. On the exact same connection flight of my original flight! Because of my dreadful inconvenience they awarded me 2 free round trip tickets…that is, in addition to my first. You got…2 + 1 = 3! Three free roundtrip tickets anywhere in the continental US and arriving back in Louisville on the same flight that I was going to from the beginning! So all I was out, was a 2 hour cab ride to Raleigh that I didn't pay for and I came home on time with 3 free tickets. Gotta love it!
Tips for receiving one of these free flights yourself.
1) Try to schedule your flight on Sunday evening/afternoons. This is the time most overbooking occurs.
2) Arrive early and ask the person at your gate if your flight is overbooked. Kindly let them know that you would be willing to take a later flight and give them your name.
3) Try to have a flexible schedule so that you do not “have” to be somewhere at a certain time and thus can afford the delay.
4) Delta offers plane vouchers in money amounts(not cash but $200 toward your next flight); US Air offers free roundtrip tickets. You cannot use the vouchers with things like Expedia, Cheaptickets, or Orbitz. You have to get them from the company so US Air is the best way to go!
5) Travel with an ipod or a good book and enjoy!
3 comments:
Amazing! Even after just hearing the story in person, I read it and was just as thrilled all over again.
ok It was great. My bunco group always hear about your adventures and this is one Ive tried explaining so now they can read it for themselves. Great job... I tell you, you should publish this. Hey has Phillip H. heard about this trip? Love you little brother.
Hey Freddy T,
Do you ever get annoying comments from people advertising? Do you know how to block them?
Thanks! Hope you and Susan are doing well!
Glenna
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