My family is coming to the Caribbean for 2 weeks around Thanksgiving. We are spending 1 week on Bonaire and 1 week in the USVI. We have 4 flights on American Eagle. It looks like many of our flights are overbooked.
I fear that we are going to be bumped off of at least one of our flights. Does anyone have experience in dealing with AE in this type of a situation? What kind of compensation are they required to offer? Flight coupons? Hotel or food?
I like to be prepared for these types of situations. Any experience or advice is greatly appreciated.

Todd, 6 trips to bon, 8 total through SJ, no problems. How do you know your flights are overbooked? Where are you coming from?

Here is a good thread on the SJ Airport and getting through it...San Juan Airport Travel Tips

Good luck

Thanks for the information.
The reason I believe my flights are overbooked is that when I check "my reservations" on AA's website, there is a function where you can choose/change your seat. On 3 of the flights, there are no additional seats available.

Hi Todd! I'm doing the AA/AE flight in December and January. AE does not sell all of its seats, so you should be fine. They leave 4 open, which drove me nuts because I could see the four seats open and they wouldn't let me buy two of them. I was informed that they are being left open because of weight issues with passengers and their luggage. I was also told barring mechanical issues, they are bumping now only due to excessive weight overages. Of course then I asked...how do they decide who is bumped? The answer I got, which was one very similar to another BTers query was this: they determine who is bumped by the last to check in at the airport for the first leg of their trip. So if you have a connecting flight from somewhere and check in early, those who are picking up the later flight only are more likely to be bumped than you are. The example being: we check in at 6:00 am because we have a connecting flight. Our AE flight is not scheduled until evening. People checking in later than 6:00 am will be bumped before they get to us. Was that as clear as mud?

Todd, while I have not been bumped from an American Eagle flight to Bonaire I did experience an overbooked flight from St Thomas to San Juan. Once we were all on the plane they were looking for folks who were not travelling with children to accept a voluntary bump for compensation. Because they could still get us home (and because we were the only passengers without children!) we agreed. I believe if you search the American Airlines website you will find information on their obligations should they decide to "bump" you without your permission. Conventional wisdom on the Bonaire flight is to make sure you have checked in early and to be in the gate area to hear any announcements. Also, all that Tribs posted is absolutely what I have experienced with American Eagle in over fifteen years of flying around the Caribbean.

Todd,

What we have found through S Juan to Bon is to make sure you have your BOARDING PASS issued by the agent at the FIRST leg of your trip. That is what seems to make a difference in terms of who gets bumped, not so much what time you checked in if no boarding pass was issued for the SJ to Bon part it is like you are just checking in in SJ, even if that is NOT the case. Hope that makes sense. Lydia

We were bumped from S Juan to Bonaire two years ago. It was great. They gave us $350 each in travel vouchers, vouchers for dinner, breakfast, lunch, and cab fares. Since there is only one flight each day, at about 6:00 pm, we had the next day to explore the "old town area". Fabulous experience. Oh, by the way, they put us up at the "El Convento". Check out that hotel's web site. It is one of the best 100 small hotels in the world! AE treated us VERY GOOD!

My tips:
a) Get the SJU to BON boarding pass when you first check in for that day.
b) If you are starting in SJU, be sure you check in well in advance.
c) Do not doddle when they start boarding. The last ones to board have (according to some) been left behind.
d) As long as the flight is not cancelled due to weather or volcanic activity, they do tend to treat bumpees fairly well.
e) If things go really badly, a last ditch way to get to BON on AA is either MIA to CUR (two jets daily) or SJU to CUR. In either case then Divi Divi or BE to Bonaire... Although at that time of year, those flights are likely booked as well.

Linda and I almost got bumped last Sunday - it was a close thing. We were originating in San Juan, and checked in about 90 minutes before the flight. We got boarding passes to let us get through security but not with a seat assignment (even though we had those reserved for a month or so). The flight to Bonaire had an overweight concern, so we, and the last two people with seats on their boarding passes were held off from boarding until they could determine whether the weight allowance would allow us to board.

While we were waiting to see if they would board us, I was already scoping out alternative routings to give them. As there was no flight SJU-BON on Monday, I was going to opt for the 8:30pm to MIA, overnight there, then go MIA-CUR the next morning, and then get over to BON from Curacao and arrive home about 20 hours late (with a hotel night in MIA courtesy of American, as well as some hefty vouchers). Fortunately it didn't come to that.

I will mention that one of the two people in front of us was rather loud and rude to the gate agent, demanding she be boarded (her husband had gotten through right in front of her and was also raising a stink - the line I loved most "But I have a paid ticket!" - like Linda and I didn't? Sheesh.

Anyhow, we were quiet and patient, figuring that AA would take care of the matter as best they could and it certainly wasn't the gate agent's fault but a mechanical limitation of the craft combined with lots of dive gear in luggage causing weight issues.

When we were ultimately cleared, the gate agent pulled me aside and thanked me for being so calm and nice about waiting in the face of uncertainty.

David's suggestions are excellent and right on the money. And I would add:

f) You attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Be nice to the gate agents. They have a difficult job and are merely the messenger, but they can also make things a lot easier for people that don't piss them off or dump on them.

Oh - and if you want an extended vacation in San Juan on AA's nickel, do the opposite of a), b), and c) :-)

Jake (with close to 100 trips through San Juan in the last couple of years and six more transits through there before 2006 is over)

I want to thank everyone for their help.
We leave tomorrow morning (Sat) from San Francisco and spend tomorow night (sat) in San Juan.
Our flight to BON is on Sunday.
We have the whole crew in tow. Me, my wife, my 5 year old, my 2 year old, and the babysitter--necessary so my wife and I can dive.
I'm going to find out the earliest I can check for the SJU to BON flight. If that means an extra early morning taxi ride to the airport, so be it!
I'm aiming to give my first on island report Monday afternoon! Getting very excited!

Todd, wishing you and your family safe travels and a most enjoyable vacation.

Looking forward to your on island reports

Jake, well said

Todd, my husband won't do the redeye anymore from LAX, so this last time he and my stepson left a day early, spent the night in SJ, (while I was on a redeye from LAX...it was too expensive for me to switch my ticket). Anyway, they asked for a late checkout 3:30PM (Hampton Inn) and on Saturday morning, they brought their luggage to the airport around 10AM, got their boarding passes, checked their luggage, picked me up and we went back to the hotel and swam, had lunch at the pool bar, cleaned up, checked out at 3:30PM and headed back to the airport. They did have seat assignments on their boarding passes

Good luck, and have a great trip!

Oh, and Todd, check this out San Juan Airport Travel Tips

Cynde,

The only thing I don't like about the early check in in San Juan is that it gives the luggage handler thieves there an opportunity to rifle through your luggage (and we had been shopping, so that was a high risk issue for us).

My partner in NetTech, Susan, had a delayed bag stay an extra couple of days in San Juan just two weeks ago, and it had been thoroughly gone through, stuff was stolen, and it was even vandalized with mashed up dried blueberries which Susan had also packed and the thieves had apparently snacked on while leisurely unpacking everything she had wrapped up before they dumped the rest of the package all over everything and then grinding it in.

Pretty distressing to keep hearing about stuff like this (and Linda was a victim of similar theft (but no vandalism other than ripped off zippers) on a long layover in January too).

So, let's add to David's list:

g) Don't pack anything valuable in your suitcases when flying through San Juan.

Jake

(Message edited by jake on November 10, 2006)

Jake, thanks. I thought about that too. When we fly from LAX, redeye and arrive in SJ at 10AM, our bags are always there for the entire day...so far, we've been lucky. Mashed up the blueberries and had snacks? That is just so wrong. I wish there were a way to let AE know just how bad the baggage handlers are in SJ, and the stuff they do to bags...