In March, I went to Las Vegas.
As many of you know, I want to fly every month.
It has not been consistent yet, but by the fall it should be.
Then, I will probably increase it to multiple times a month over time as I use more award miles.
It has been fun flying more often than the average person.
To fly every month on my own dime though, I cut costs.
One way to do this is by flying Basic Economy.
I have been flying almost all Basic Economy for the last 2 years except one award flight on American Airlines.
When using award miles on American (unlike Deta and United), you will automatically be put in regular economy.
Though I was on a Basic Economy ticket on my Delta flight home from Vegas, I was upgraded to Comfort+.
Here is how I got upgraded on a Basic Economy ticket.
My flight To Las Vegas
I live in the Huntsville, Alabama area.
Like most smaller airports, on most flights, I will be connecting at a hub.
On American, this is usually Charlotte or Dallas.
On Delta, this is usually Atlanta or Detroit.
I have not been flying United in the present.
I will fly United more later as I use Chase Ultimate points more.
Connections from my city on United are usually Chicago, Dulles, or Houston.
Again, my trip in March to Las Vegas was on Delta.
My connection to and from Las Vegas was through Atlanta.
I could have chosen to connect in Detroit on the way back.
Because the times were better, I wanted to hang out at the busiest airport in the world (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport).
So, my flight itinerary was:
- Huntsville to Atlanta
- Atlanta to Las Vegas
- Las Vegas to Atlanta
- Atlanta to Huntsville
I usually fly American a little more than Delta because they usually have the best deals from my city.
Also, you don’t earn miles on Delta with a Basic Economy ticket.
I wanted to fly Delta’s widebody 350 which was on the Atlanta to Vegas route during the times I was traveling.
I have been having a lot of fun flying widebody planes in the U.S. this year.
I also like flying different airlines to try different products.
How I Got Upgraded On Delta
In any case, you would be surprised that my small airport is sold out all the time on both Delta and American.
There are so many business travelers with NASA and the Space and Rocket Industry.
That means I never have a seat until the last minute whether I am flying Delta, American, and I assume later United.
Again, I have not flown United in the past 2 years, but plan to change that soon when I fly to Chicago.
An oversold flight means you might not get a seat until the day of boarding at the last minute.
The first time this happened it made me nervous, but I am used to it now.
I always receive a seat assignment.
Airlines usually give me something for not having a seat until the last minute on the connecting flight though.
On one American flight, I was upgraded to Economy Plus too.
On another American flight, I was given a window seat when it was clear that I was going to be in a middle seat.
My flight from Las Vegas was a redeye.
My seat on my flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta was originally confirmed again.
It was the Atlanta to Huntsville segment that I did not have a seat on.
Later, I would get that seat assigned after I arrived in Atlanta.
When it was time to board though, I noticed my seat now said Comfort+.
It listed an earlier boarding zone too.
I was quite pleasantly surprised.
The Takeaway
There are three takeaways.
As most experts recommend, bulkhead seats, when you can get them, are usually roomier as well as exit rows.
I have eye disease, so I don’t think I will let them put me in an exit row again.
On a couple of flights, they put me in an exit row.
The second takeaway is Basic Economy can save the right passenger money.
It is not for everyone though.
The last and main takeaway is if you are not given a seat because an airline has oversold your flight, you might be due some non-monetary compensation.
It can be anything from a window seat to in this case an upgrade to Comfort+.
If your flight is direct, maybe they can compensate you on the return flight home.
Again, if you have a connection, it is probably easier to be compensated though.
Just know that this is not something the airlines are required to do.
Summary
When airlines oversell flights, and don’t get you a seat until the last minute, they may give you non-monetary compensation.
Again, they are not required to do this.
Airlines oversell flights frequently today’s times.
So, if your flight is oversold, and you are not given a seat, expect the possibility of compensation.
It sure was nice to have a spacious upgrade to Delta Comfort+ on my long red eye flight from Vegas to Atlanta.
I sat next to a Delta Diamond Medallion.
In the past Comfort + was something I used to pay $7 for.
Those days are long gone though.
I am not sure if it is worth it to pay cash or use points today for Comfort+.
Until I figure it out, this was a nice upgrade from Delta.
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