[Gcals]

After 4 round trips in the last month between Seattle and Santa Rosa, CA,
(July-Aug. 09) it seems Horizon's so hopelessly incompetent they couldn't get seat booking done right Even Once in 6 flights. A regular ritual has been the pleading before the flight (including offering a $300 voucher) for a few people to get off because the Horizon booking agents overbooked the flights. I got to witness the joy several times of people coming on board with correct boarding passes only to find somebody(s) in their seats already. There was much humor 2 Flights ago when a guy who
found that while his wife's seat was available, his was already occupied. He stormed off the weedeater-8, but not before stopping to yell through the open cockpit door "Nice Customer Service You have Here!" (Heavy on the sarcasm). The wife trailed off a minute later, kid and kid-seat in hand.

The Sunday before last the same overbooking ritual was going on, and this time people did not give up their seats, but I got to hear the irritated booking agent (Seattle gate C2G) talking to one of the stewardesses at the
front of the aisle. She was complaining that she Couldn't Believe no one would give up their seat to let a Just Married couple on the way
to their honeymoon both get on the flight (yes-apparently one got their seat, and the other didn't). She seemed to think it was OUR fault that
through their stupidity Horizon overbooked the flight and split the happy
couple. Fly into San Francisco taking Virgin Air and drive up. It's easier.

[The_Judge]

Sounds like their bookings are going just the way the company would like. Overbooking on many of the flights you talked about will make the company money. Is it right? Absolutely not!! Being a former customer service super, it bites bungus to try to get volunteers flight after flight, day after day. Makes me, the person trying to help the customer, look like the idiot bad guy. When will airlines stop overbooking to make it easier on all involved?? Probably never. It makes them money to sell the same product more than once.

[jimworcs]

In the days when air tickets were sold fully flexible and passengers could no show and still get on a later flight, the airlines may have had an excuse for over-selling. Today the vast majority of tickets now sold (and I mean VAST majority) are restricted tickets which are not transferrable and there is no excuse for the airlines to over-sell other than greed. It is abusive and exploits their monopolies and it is time the DOT regulated this practise.

[azstar]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

In the days when air tickets were sold fully flexible and passengers could no show and still get on a later flight, the airlines may have had an excuse for over-selling. Today the vast majority of tickets now sold (and I mean VAST majority) are restricted tickets which are not transferrable and there is no excuse for the airlines to over-sell other than greed. It is abusive and exploits their monopolies and it is time the DOT regulated this practise.

I agree 100%! I addition. almost all passengers have e-tickets so the airline knows exactly who is ticketed and who isn't.

[PHXFlyer]

You have a valid point, Jim, however as the number of seats on a given flight dwindle the fare one pays goes up and up. The last several seats sold are usually in the highest fare bracket and are usually the refundable fares. The last few seats sold are also those that account for the over-sale. So by your own logic the airline is still doing as they always have. The over-sale is to hedge against those with flexible tickets who are likely to change plans at the last minute without any penalty to do so. Since the OP stated they were only looking for one volunteer it looks like the airline's prediction was almost spot on this case.

[Jetliner]

Gcals - the overbooking is a pain, however you cannot fault the reservations agents on this. The company sets the limit in the computer for how many seats can be sold on a flight. The reservations agents simply look up the flight, and if it shows seats to be sold, they sell them.

Also, only about 1/3 (or even less these days) of the tickets are sold through the reservations centers of any airline. Most go online, and some still use a regular travel agent.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by Gcals

After 4 round trips in the last month between Seattle and Santa Rosa, CA,
(July-Aug. 09) it seems Horizon's so hopelessly incompetent they couldn't get seat booking done right Even Once in 6 flights. A regular ritual has been the pleading before the flight (including offering a $300 voucher) for a few people to get off because the Horizon booking agents overbooked the flights. I got to witness the joy several times of people coming on board with correct boarding passes only to find somebody(s) in their seats already. There was much humor 2 Flights ago when a guy who
found that while his wife's seat was available, his was already occupied. He stormed off the weedeater-8, but not before stopping to yell through the open cockpit door "Nice Customer Service You have Here!" (Heavy on the sarcasm). The wife trailed off a minute later, kid and kid-seat in hand.

Horizon is probably not completely to blame for this. The flight from Santa Rosa to Seattle originates in Los Angeles. I'm sure on any given flight there are at least a few "through" passengers. Those passengers may not have the same seat assignment for both legs of the flight. They may know that but try to hang on to their same seat even though it's not rightfully theirs or they may just be clueless and didn't read their boarding pass.

Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions and blame the airline for everything. As for the idiot who vented his frustrations at the flight crew (who had nothing to do with his seating situation) I would be relieved that he decided to leave the plane.

[Jetliner]

More than likely the case. The guy who was sitting in the other seat may have just sat in the wrong seat outright. He may have not paid attention to his boarding pass, or looked at the wrong one. I came across that a few times. They would get on the plane, and look at their connecting boarding pass (their next flight, not this one).

The guy who got off the plane probably didn't even try to find out what happened - whether it was the airline or the passenger.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by Jetliner

More than likely the case. The guy who was sitting in the other seat may have just sat in the wrong seat outright. He may have not paid attention to his boarding pass, or looked at the wrong one. I came across that a few times. They would get on the plane, and look at their connecting boarding pass (their next flight, not this one).

The guy who got off the plane probably didn't even try to find out what happened - whether it was the airline or the passenger.

I like your method! Often I'll connect from a mainline aircraft to regional or vice-versa. Most of the time on the regional plane I'll select a seat in the first few rows. Next time I board the mainline aircraft, and I haven't been upgraded, I'll point to my boarding pass with 2B printed as the seat assignment and say, "Here it is in black and white! This is my first-class seat and I'm not budging!" Of course my next post will be from the internet lounge at the Federal prison in Denver!