OK, I need some advice from all you experts. What do I do if I'm bumped from a flight using my f.f. miles? Do I have any "rights" for compensation etc.? Please give me some insight into this so I'm prepared if it happens. TIA for any and all help!

From my experience, each FF program has its own *very detailed* set of rules and guidelines. I think calling and asking them in advance would be of the most help. I have used miles many times and have never been bumped.

If you have a ticket that you "purchased" using frequent flier miles, you are a ticketed passenger just like any other and are entitled to the same treatment as paying passengers if you are involuntarily bumped, meaning they will put you on the next available scheduled flight on that airline. You can avoid being bumped by checking in for your flight with plenty of time before departure. If you cut it too close and the flight is overbooked you may get bumped. This has nothing to do with having used frequent flier miles for your ticket though -- it's the same for paying passengers.

Lisa,

Better read your FF program agreement. Ricardo is right, there are all sorts of restrictions and many times FF tickets are subject to bumping at any time. They basically will get you to where you are going, but you may be "rerouted" at any time without compensation.

We are frequent fliers on Southwest and have earned many free Rapid Rewards tickets. Actually the free Rapid Rewards tickets are treated exactly the same as full unrestricted coach tickets. There are no restrictions on them at all. I believe that Southwest is the only airline that does this.

Anyways, back to the original question. We flew back from St. Louis to San Jose a few weeks ago. We were flying on free Rapid Rewards tickets. We volunteered to give up our seats from Los Angeles to San Jose. They needed about 10 volunteers. Southwest offered a refund of the price of your ticket plus a voucher ( unrestricted ) for $400.00. We only got the $400.00 beacause the price of our tickets was $0.00. They also bought us lunch. Not too bad at all as we were only 45 minutes later in arriving at San Jose and got lunch plus $400.00.

We have been bumped (twice) and cancelled (once) when we were using frequent flier tickets. Every time the ticket agent has made comments that there was nothing that could be done because we were on "Free" tickets. Contrary to this, each time we were able to get on the next flight. In the case of the cancelled flight, United airlines gave us a voucher for a Frontier flight.
Every time we got what we needed by politely "insisting" and not accepting "no" for an answer. I have decided that the gate attendants are trained to tell everyone that all flights are full and that there is nothing that can be done. Using this system, they are able to separate who is desperate to get to their destination and who can wait - sort of "Airline Triage". If you have to get where you are going - PERSIST and continue to PERSIST. It is amazing how flights that are 30 people overbooked will suddenly have seats for you!!

Two of our bumping/cancellations were for serious traveling (in one case we were heading to my brother's wedding for which I was a bridesmaid and the second, we needed to connect with a very, very expensive flight to Tahiti) and the United Gate attendents knew we were about to lose our ability to continue being polite. In the case of the wedding, my young son literally pulled me into a line of 30 people trying to get on a flight that the gate attendants claimed was overbooked. With tears in his eyes, he said "Come on mom, you have to have hope. If you don't try, you don't have a chance!" We got on that flight and his words were true again when our flight to LA to connect with Air Tahiti was cancelled!

All three times we were using e-tickets. I will never do that again. E-tickets are for the convenience of the Airline. From now on I will travel with "real" tickets. I believe "Real" tickets would have shortened our "line times" and made it easier to get on other flights.

Hope you never have to deal with this.

E-tickets have nothing to do with being bumped. It was just a coincidence in your case. It would not have made any difference whether you had a paper ticket or not. Actually e-tickets are also much more convenient for the traveler. I have been flying with e-tickets for 4+ years now and love them. Don't have to worry about losing them or leaving them at home.

I know the e-ticket had nothing to do with being bumped or cancelled.

In our May incident we had an 8:00 am flight out of Denver to catch a 1:00 pm flight out of LA to Tahiti. ALL UNITED flights to LA for the entire day were CANCELLED at 6:00 am. Imagine our dilema! We had a $5,000 dream trip riding on catching a 1-flight a day Air Tahiti Flight. FRONTIER AIRLINES (WONDERFUL AIRLINE!) had one flight going to LA that Morning. The United terminal was in total CHAOS. Lines were hundreds of people long. I ran to the Frontier counter and was told that if I had a PAPER TICKET they could help me, but with just an e-Ticket I had to wait in those long, long, United lines. Due to a wonderful, amazing and undeserved blessing, somehow a new line opened up and my husband was right there to be first in line. He was able to get the papers from United and Frontier somehow got us on their "overbooked" flight. We should never had made it to LA that morning considering how many hundreds of stranded passengers were struggling. I am very grateful to the patient United employee who helped us and to Frontier airlines.

BUT I will never use an e-ticket again.

Hi Nanci,

I use about 6 FF tickets a year. I have never had a problem because of the "free" tickets. Our entire flight had been cancelled once and we were upgraded to first class right away for the next flight available. My FF program is with USAirways. Good luck.

In light of the recent thread about "thank-yous" I'll be brief: THANK YOU EVERYONE! Hearing your stories was very helpful! I won't give a "report" if my free flight is uneventful - no news is good news! HaHa

Two quick points:
1. If you check in early, your chances of being bumped are almost nil.
2. We just returned from a trip using ff miles. It didn't stop up from being upgraded to first class because our connection was late and originally assigned seats were given to others!