Jaunted

My suggestion would be somewhere in Hawaii, probably Kauai. This is the perfect time for kayaking the Na Pali Coast off Kauai.

Technically, the flight is limited to destinations within the continental U.S. Otherwise, everyone would probably choose Hawaii. But I've been thinking about Kauai, and maybe I can upgrade the flight for a fee. Thanks for the kayaking tip.

Ah.  That would be interesting to see if it is possible to upgrade the flight for a fee.  

FYI - if you are interested in more info on Na Pali Coast kayaking, I wrote an article about it.  http://www.govisithawaii.com/2007/05/30/kayaking-the-na-pali-coast/

Anyway, happy travels to you.

Did you mean that we should book the flight to depart the day before we actually need to be there or do you mean to book at the last minute, the day before we need to fly?

For example, if today is Monday and I need to be somewhere on Friday, do I want until Thursday to book?  Or do I go ahead and book on Monday, but book to depart on Thursday?

Just trying to clear up some semantics here...  Thanks!

she meant book a flight with an arrival the day before you actually need to be somewhere.  So, if you have business on a Tuesday in Columbus, try to schedule departure for Monday night, that way, you can take bump to the following AM if offered.  

Oh, and of course, your business would be paying for your hotel room, so there is no added expense to you there---and the bump ticket?  Usually all yours--meaning your business won't ask you to cough it up to them because they were paying for your travel.

Is that right Claire?  

Sorry for the confusion. No, I am not advocating you book your flights less than 24 hours before your departure (although you can sometimes find great deals that way on discount sites like Travelzoo).

I am saying what Mark explained above. If you're traveling for work or staying with friends, try and fly the night before you're due somewhere. Your company will most likely pay -- because flying the morning of a big meeting is a risky undertaking.

As for turning the free flight into your company if they're footing the bill, I doubt any business would be so stingy. I was actually traveling with my boss, who couldn't take advantage of the bump but was thrilled about my good fortune.

if you call ahead before you go to the airport, and speak to an agent, you can nearly always find out if the flight is almost full.  if it is, you can improve your general chances greatly by dressing nice.  often volunteers that are not bumped are moved into first class (either by lack of seats, or by agents just being nice) -- if you dress nice (and by this i mean a sport coat, or a skirt suit), your chances of riding first go way way up. (a good alternative to this is to wear a warm-up suit ... looks kind of dressy and makes it hard to determine your general income level.)

mark my words, if five people volunteer, and one ends up getting moved to first, the nicest dressed will be the one who gets picked.

(also, when you're talking to counter agents, NEVER lean on the counter or put your hands up on top of it -- everyone does this and it's a pet-peeve of nearly all counter workers.)

it's worth noting that where tickets go vary by airline -- you should always read the fine print on the ticket.

my brother and i once got bumped on delta for a trip "anywhere in the continental u.s."  the ticket even said this in large print.  but when we read down closely at the bottom, low and behold, the continental u.s. included the cayman islands.  we were snorkeling shipwrecks before the year was out.

also, don't be afraid to ask for additional compensation as well -- food coupons for long delays, hotel stays/cab fares for over-nights, admission to things like the admiral's club.  don't act as if you're entitled to them, just ask nicely if they are available -- they often are.

do note that some airlines will not bump you, for any reason, if you're on a priceline-purchased ticket.  those tickets get a form of coding that is sometimes etched permanently in stone (this is true for ted flights as well as some aloha airlines flights).

Does Jaunted not accept trackbacks?  I linked to this story yesterday.

We see trackbacks through Technorati et al, but we do not publish them if that is what you mean.