Best irrops/schedule changes/overbooking that have worked in your favour

[YSSY]

Seeing the post by @Pleb Status about the change of flight resulting in him negotiating a transfer onto the direct flight which he wasn't otherwise able to get, I thought it would be good to see anyone else has managed some positive outcomes from irrops or schedule changes?

With a previous employer in the Middle East when I completed my employment they flew me and the family back to Sydney via HKG on Cathay Pacific in J, however I really wanted a stopover in HKG for a little break with the family, but the company wouldn't entertain it. Anyway, queue departure day and at DXB airport we find out that our DXB-HKG flight is running late resulting in a misconnect in HKG, Cathay wanted to put us on the next available flight, but with a little negotiation managed to convince them it would be better for us to spend a night in HKG and fly out the following night with Cathay footing the bill for the hotel. Absolute bonus!

Also once volunteered at San Juan airport to bumped onto the next flight due to overbooking and even though I would still make my connection in New York on the later flight I was upgraded for both sectors and provided with compensation!

 

[snabbu]

The first that springs to mind is the PTY SC runs. It hasn't been possible to book the same plane turn around as it doesn't meet MCT however the last couple of years the good ole' AA schedule changes have automatically bumped me onto exactly that.

 

[serfty]

Most recent was in June when on DL DFW-xMSP-LAX, the DFW flight was late so I would miss my connection at MSP.

I was able to rebook -xMSP-xSLC-LAX providing a boost in SC earn. (Rebooked via the Delta App while in flight on way to MSP.)

 

[blackcat20]

Our UA flight from LAX-SFO was cancelled, and as we were in paid F, they endorsed us over to AA. Cue 4 hours in the QF lounge drinking coughtails while we waited.

 

[serfty]

Our UA flight from LAX-SFO was cancelled, and as we were in paid F, they endorsed us over to AA. Cue 4 hours in the QF lounge drinking coughtails while we waited.

Ha!

Triple the time in the lounge than in the air!

 

[docjames]

Not sure if this qualifies for your thread or not (and am sure i've told it on AFF before):

My father was booked JFK-LAX-HNL-AKL-SYD back in the 80s as the preferred LAX-SYD direct flight was fully booked.

His JFK-LAX was early enough (just) that he got into LAX early enough and then his waitlisted seat cleared on the direct LAX-SYD flight at the last minute whilst in the lounge at LAX.

Company president (flying home Qantas and had last seen dad at the airport before boarding his flight) called early the next day to our home "to check on" my father. Cue strange discussion with my mother who was most annoyed that he was waking him as he'd just flown in because he'd switched to the earlier flight, and besides hadn't they been away two weeks on business what could possibly be so urgent after a day of travel to wake him after just getting home and "need to check" anything?

The reason the company president was so concerned:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811 and my father's original seat was in row 10.....

 

[serfty]

...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811 and my father's original seat was in row 10.....

:-|

Extra SC's simply pale into insignificance. ..

 

[Himeno]

I've had op ups due to overbooking on QF a number of times. Once on SYD-LAX and a number of times on SYD-TYO.

Only other thing that jumps to mind was on US (after the AA merger, but before US disappeared). Was booked CAE-PHL-LGA. Everything north out of CAE was delayed due to ATC congestion. Everything west was delayed due to weather. I saw there would be a problem and started looking at options. Was on my way to talk to ground staff before they noticed there would be missed connections.
Ground staff were blind to anything other then LGA via PHL, which would have resulted in an overnight at either CAE or PHL.
I had prepaid accommodation near JFK (walking distance from the airtrain).
I suggested the next flight to CLT and connection to JFK. After some typing and a call downstairs to retag bags, it was all done.
Even with the delay, I got to the hotel in New York an hour earlier then I would have before without having to work out transport from LGA.

 

[JMEL]

My cousin was travelling in the US on business at the time of 9/11. Apparently he was due to fly out of New York that morning, but changed his flight to a later one at short notice. I think he may have been booked on UA 93 - but my memory of the exact details is a little hazy as I was still fairly young at the time, and he has never brought it up again. Needless to say, after the news came through, he called his parents from the airport, crying hysterically (understandably).

On a much lighter note, I recently had a personal trip booked on Tiger. I had booked the early 8:20AM flight, but arriving home after work the night before my departure, I was seriously starting to regret that decision. I was feeling drained and desperately needed a sleep-in. The next moment, when I checked my emails, I saw a notification from Tiger telling me my original flight had been cancelled and I had been rebooked on a same-day afternoon flight. Never had I been so happy to have a flight cancelled!

 

[Isochronous]

Before the disastrous Oneworld through-check changes, in 2013 I booked MEL-SYD-NAN-LAX-DFW-AUS on QF/FJ/AA. Got to LAX and had a long wait. Then it showed up that the DFW flight was delayed due to bad weather. I went to the service desk and ended up getting on the direct LAX-AUS flight, and arrived in AUS about an hour before I was ordinarily scheduled to. Then got ORC - this was all in J / AA F as part of a run to Platinum.

 

[Danger]

Two oneworld Explorers ago my final (J) flight was Hong Kong-Jeddah. Several months out Cathay cancelled its service. I phoned the Hong Kong office and, presumably due to a lack of geographical knowledge on the agent's part, my suggestion of HKG-LHR-JED was accepted without issue. I even managed a stopover in London. Threw the oneworld rules right out the window.

 

[Himeno]

Two oneworld Explorers ago my final (J) flight was Hong Kong-Jeddah. Several months out Cathay cancelled its service. I phoned the Hong Kong office and, presumably due to a lack of geographical knowledge on the agent's part, my suggestion of HKG-LHR-JED was accepted without issue. I even managed a stopover in London. Threw the oneworld rules right out the window.

Lucky.

On a DONE3 a few years ago, after the QF/EK tie up, before the QF9/10 retime (when both AU-LHR flights used the morning/evening LHR slots), I had LHR-xDXB-xLHR-PVG. QF for DXB-LHR, BA for the others. BA screwed up, broken plane, aircraft change, late arrival in DXB. Along with refusing to check through to QF, and none of the transfer desks at DXB willing to issue a boarding pass for QF (including the one with QF signage).
I made it through connections screening (without a boarding pass) and to the EK lounge. Explained what had happened. By the time they got into booking, flight had closed and misconnect.
EK tried contacting BA in LHR - no answer, then CX (ticket issuer) in HKG - no answer. They got through to QF in SYD to deal with rebooking.
I had been hoping with the misconnect that service recovery would get me on a QF coded EK back to LHR which would still make it in time to connect to the PVG flight. But nope, QF stuck to the xONEx rules and 24 hour delay to next QF1 and rebook LHR-PVG to next day.
Lost a night of prepaid hotel in Shanghai and half my time there.

 

[JohnK]

I had been booked on SYD-MEL-AKL-LAX flights as part of a Oneworld award and had boarded the SYD-MEL flight which waited and waited in taxiway but didn't take off. From memory this was from international terminal. Eventually went back to gate. From memory the delay was over an hour and I would not make the connection in MEL.

I was put on the direct SYD-LAX flight and spent extra time in the F lounge. Oh and I also received points and 90 SCs!

 

[YSSY]

Another time I was flying to Barbados and was scheduled to fly QF into LHR and to BGI from LGW, a really coughpy transfer between airports. However this was just after the QF A380 had been launched and some teething issues meant a delay in SIN thus misconnecting, but all credit to QF as I landed I was handed a piece of paper with an option of flying to Miami with a hotel overnight then onwards to BGI or staying in London with a hotel and flying on the following days LGW-BGI, I took the Miami option.

More recently I had a route SYD-SZX-PEK-AMS-DSA (yep absolutely awful itinerary) with 9 hours wait in AMS, but misconnected in PEK and was given a hotel for the night and onto the KLM flight the following morning, the result was arriving in AMS in perfect time for the DSA connection.

Finally, for a real proactive approach, I was in New York having flown up from Fort Lauderdale for a few days and whilst shopping in Manhattan on the morning I was due to fly back got a call from US Airways that my flight from EWR (cheapest option I could find) was cancelled but they'd send me out of LGA! Absolute bonus, saved me a bit in taxi fares anyway.

There are also the times where irrops have seen me late home or bags gone astray or a night in a hotel where I'd rather be elsewhere, but its nice to focus on the positives.

 

[k_sheep]

On a "super special" fare out of Yangon - RGN - xNRT - xSEA - YVR. We were originally going to go to YVR just for 2 days anyway, then get the bus back to SEA (was going to be torture on mr k_sheep as he'd just had back surgery). Arrived in SEA, onward flight cancelled. Meal vouchers and hotel provided, then the next day we casually cancelled the next leg and they apologised and comped the hotel for the next night too

 

[downgraded]

I guess this was an overbooking scenario...Classic award (x2) J QF2 in the days when QF2 and 10 left at roughly the same time. Couldn't book QF10 as an award so had taken QF2 and a domestic connection.At check-in asked if there was any chance of the direct connection instead.We were given our direct QF10 flight we hadn't been able to book.Pinged at the gate and given 2 F seats instead. Quite happy.

 

[badseed]

On my first solo trip overseas I was waiting to board Continental from HNL to MEL.They were overbooked and were asking for 6 volunteers. I had seen this a couple of years earlier travelling with my dad, when we got US$200 each for volunteering for a 2 hour wait for the next flight delay on CO out of SFO to DEN.So I waited, and they got 3 on the first pass at $250. I held out and ended up with $500 US, an extra night in Hawaii, and an upgrade to J where they sent me home via Sydney, including my only flight in J on AN and a hour or so in the Golden Wing lounge. Received zero Onepass miles but came out on top I feel ;-)

 

[Must...Fly!]

I think I shared this one years ago on here, before the QF10 retime. FRA-xLHR-SIN, one night stopover then on to Perth. In Frankfurt, BA agent can't check us the whole way. Seat assignments don't make sense. Rock up at LHR, myself and my brother both upgraded to Y+, but seated separately. This was amazing, as we were on separate PNRs and seated in different parts of the plane (71D & 80A), only our last names in common. By the time we hit the gate, they've moved us to sit together.

2.5 hours on the plane later, flight cancelled, PA issue. To the hotels...as we were in Y+, we beat 350+ Y passengers to the punch and score a room at the Sofitel T5 instead of (insert random hotel). Anyway, eventually land in Singapore and because of the overnight delay at LHR, we miss our prebooked nights accommodation at the CP Changi. As it had late checkout til 5pm included, I convinced the staff to let us use the room to shower and rest for 2 hours. Back to the airport to check in, a little disappointed we'd missed the night to relax.

Lo and behold, SIN-PER is now overbooked. Put our names on the list to stay behind, and eat $15 worth of free KFC each (meal allowance from QF) while we wait. Winner winner, we get left behind - $400US cash each is ours, along with a night at the Traders (all meals included of course) and cash for taxi transfers.

 

[drron]

Mine has just occurred.But it is a cruise not a flight.We are booked on the Scenic eclipse Iceland to Quebec.Due into Quebec on the labor day weekend there.She really wants to go to PEI but the timing meant most things would be closed.
It has been brought forward a week so now everything is perfect.

 

[erin]

Due to fly SIN-MEL on SQ early one morning, we got to the airport to learn the previous nights flight had been cancelled and they were looking for volunteers to stay the day in SIN and fly out that night. My friend and I were each rewarded with $500 SGD, $200 USD voucher for duty free, meal and taxi vouchers for the day and a hotel room (somewhere not far from the airport).
The only disappointing part was, I don't think the check in girl knew we would get we would get a hotel room, as we were worried about being saddled with our bags all day, she suggested we check them in (and not see them again until the next morning in MEL), and it wasn't until the manager came over to handout the cash and vouchers, did we realise we would get the hotel room. We would have been happy to just spend the day by the pool at the hotel, but as we were dressed more for the cool air of the plane rather than the heat and humidity of Singapore we ended up wandering around a shopping centre most of the day.