denied boarding as non-rev, then what?

Well, in this topic I'd like to learn about what happens when you don't make it on a flight as a non-rev, as this is a topic which is not very well documented so far.

Personally, it has never happened to me, but it could happen one day, and then i'd like to know precisely what's next, as it makes the event more comfortable to deal with.

So, what happens when you don't get a seat on a flight you'd hoped to travel on?
-) Does the gate agent help you find an alternative (with their airline)?
-) How do you get your checked luggage back, in case you want to try your luck on another airline's flight?
-) How do you get out of the terminal, if you have already been stamped off by immigration (as international pax)?
-) What about the coupon they have taken from you; do they hand it back so you can use it again, or do they keep it and are you thus bound to fly with the same airlines' next flight?

I am asking because I started wondering about how to proceed if I check in for airline's X flight to XYZ with luggage, yet don't make it on the flight in the end. Do I need to hope for a seat on the next day's flight, or hope for a seat to another nearby destination, whereas there's also a flight with airline Y to XYZ about 3 hours later which I could try to get on?

Gate agent may help you find an alternative, just depends on the individual and how busy they are. Always have multiple back ups before you ever get to the airport.

Don't ever check a bag!!

Alot of places won't let you through passport control until you have cleared. In the case you get through and don't clear, talk to the gate agent, there HAS to be a way for them to get you back through customs.

They shouldn't be taking a coupon from you until you are boarding the a/c. I had it happen to me once in EZE where LAN wanted to take my flight coupon at the tkt counter. I kindly asked the agent if I could hold onto it and exchange it for my boarding pass if/when I cleared and she asked her manager and he gave it back to me. Good thing too, as I cleared for an earlier flight.

Dominican Republic--we had 2 children in tow and were denied after being stamped/paid w/departure fee--when we left, exited thru immigration--they canceled the stamp--did it again the next day and the next day
finally went to alternative airport (via rental car) 2 hrs away and got on return flight (this was our airline)
GA has no responsibility but typically will assist after rev pax are gone (if possible)
Plan B/C/D is my responsibility and I always try to be prepared
I agree with NO BAGS--like shooting yourself in the foot, period.
Coupons--watch them carefully--I've agent take the wrong one--your responsibility to get it back if it's been held until boarding (that was OAL)

I would not worry first of all...that only adds to your stress and disappointment on not getting on a flight....

Every airline I have travelled non-rev on, and that's a lot over 30 odd years, has some sort of system to deal with non-revs who do not get on.

A lot has to do with the rules of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) at your departure airport. In my part of the world (Aust/Asia), they rarely put you on if there is a good chance you will be bumped....but it can happem and I'm never content until the aircrafy starts to roll...
They will take your ticket and baggage....and yes you should take baggage as you have to wear something when on holiday....at the check-in counter as soon as you arrive if the flight is wide open OR after you have spent an hour or so biting your nails whilst on standby and waiting to be called and told you're on.....

Have back up tickets and always have in the back of your mind that you might not make it.....and stay cool...

Best thing to do when you get bumped is find out if you get rolled over to the next flights. Usually flights like from BOS to EWR they have so many so chances are, you get bumped on the first or second flight but will make the 3rd or 4th. They usually just automatically roll you over. If you're in Peru and there are only two flights a day and they seem overbooked, you may start to look for a plan B. That may mean routing through Brazil or Buenos Aires believe it or not. But you need access to a computer for this and internationally, this may create a problem. We here in the states got it made with wireless all around us. True about the luggage checked in. I like to check my luggage in when I know for certain I feel I'll get on. I don't like to fight with a hundred other travellers to put luggage overhead so I always check in my luggage just so I don't have to use it under a seat and mess with my leg space. If I get bumped, I just go to the check in counter and get my luggage. Not a big deal. It happened to me in Philippines when I tried to board a flight to Guam and didn't make it. All this after going through stringent security and having paid exit fees. The exit fee was good up to the next night, so no loss there, and we got out via NRT OAL. Just roll with the punches. Like the Aussie mentioned. STAY COOL. Go have a cool one and come up with a plan B. When you feel happy, good things happen. If you hang around bugging gate agents and freakin out, it won't help your situation. Preparing keeps the anxiety level to a check. If you wing it, be ready to deal with the worse case scenario.

I like to check my luggage in, and be sure to get your luggage tickets in case they get lost. That is your proof for getting compinsated in case they lose your belongings. And I am not afraid to use the system. It has happened before where the standby luggage has been sent out to my station on a buddy pass traveller and the traveller didn't make it with the luggage. But the buddy pass made it on a later flight. I covered their luggage for them on this end, but this was before 9/11 when security wasn't so tight. So be aware that if you do check in luggage, there is a chance your luggage goes and you stay or you stay and your luggage goes. So keep your tickets, and carry an extra pair of underwear or socks, trousers on your carry on enough to get you to Sears or wherever to buy you some cloth if your luggage is lost in the system for a long time. (Never has happened to me.) Carry your valuables and don't put them in your luggage unless you can live without it. But keep your luggage tickets/receipts for charyste sakes.

As the others have said, most carriers just roll you over to the next flight.
However as you know, sometimes things can get a little chaotic at the airport and gate agents can be snowed under, so it’s good, especially if you’re on a foreign trip, to have your backup plans ready to roll. That’s why I always stress including an alternate airport/route among your list of backups, because when things start going sideways, they go sideways fast, and having that alternate option in your back pocket can be the difference in a cot in the corner and your own bed.
A few years ago I was trying to get to Chicago. I’m at LAX, my flight had a light load, and I was sure I’ll be in F. Then came the announcement that all the remaining AA flights to Chicago were canceled because of high winds at ORD.
You can image the reaction to that announcement in the terminal-chaos,http://bestsmileys.com/hyper/9.gif the agents were swamped.
My standing alternate airport/route for Chicago is to fly WN flight into Midway - Chicago‘s other airport., but I knew WN’s LAX/MDW flights were about to be inundated.
So I fell back to alternate airport/route plan B, bought a ticket to Vegas and then non-revved LAS to MDW on WN. I even won a little money on the machines at McCarran.
The main thing is I made it to Chicago in time for the graduation, as promised.
As the others have said, have back-ups/print-outs, don’t check bags, wear comfortable shoes and familiarize yourself with your departure terminal’s layout, just in case you have to sprint for that alternate plan B.

Having a plan B is a good thing, however, not all case scenarios have much else other than. Like one flight per day going out of Merida Mexico for instance. Ok, so you know other flight from other airlines go out too. So now you must find a ticket counter that will sell you the other airline ticket. And you can go overboard too buying up backup tickets. They take a long time to get the money back on them too. Cross that bridge when you get to it. But try to have your flight well planned out. Don't like go when there is alot of overbooked people. I remember trying to get out of Little Rock one time, and it was coming down to the last flight of the day. Things were very tight. I went to the bar and had a plan b. I had a glass of beer, and was contemplating renting a car to drive to Houston. I calculated roughly 8 hour drive. I also knew that another guy was trying to get on too, and he would have probably been a good candidate to split the cost. But at the end, we both made the flight. I called the rental joint and told them to cancel me.

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Originally Posted by 29palms

And you can go overboard too buying up backup tickets. They take a long time to get the money back on them too.

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True that! At current rate our tickets take around 2 months to refund :(

I always keep in mind plan B's and try and ticket myself as flex as possible. The amount of people I meet though who have no idea of the system or don't know what to do when something goes awry scares me. Like a companion at LAX who literally begged the staff to let her on the plane (wtf?).

I've been quite lucky I must say:
- WN plane air bridge reattached and two pax got off, freeing me up a seat as i'd happened to stay in the gate area (exit row too!)
- Made it out of STL intact when all of AA's MD80s got taken out for wire inspections
- Made the last flight outta LAX to get back to work
- Got on many a flight out of HKG when I had been told "no chance"

I enjoy the thrill

Carry on only and backups.

I've gotten kicked to the curb a couple times. Once I tried to tag along with my wife who was working an SFO-LIH flight. flight filled up, door closed. I admitted defeat and flew back to SAN. I tagged along to Japan with her...Well, I tried to join her SFO-NGO (Nagoya) flight. It looked bad, so I flew SFO-KIX and took a train to Nagoya. On the way back, the KIX-SFO flight filled up at the last minute (Olympian Carl Lewis took the last first class seat). I found internet access, flew KIX to HNL, bought a ticket for Hawaiin Air, crossed fingers, and got on a HNL-SFO flight. On a Sunday even. OH yeah...My watch was way off and I almost missed the flight, thinking that I had more time to kill than I really did. HaHa, that would have been funny. NOT!

My wife and I were flying AF CDG-JFK one busy summer day as OAL employees. My wife received the last seat on the first flight of the morning and I guy bumped. Instead of getting upset and demanding things, I just rolled with the changes. Every time I got bumped (a total of 4 times), I smiled, politely asked for the gate of the next flight and checked to make sure I rolled over to the next flt. I also quickly became friends with a young German couple in the same situation as me....that helped because they spoke English and French. The smiling, politeness and patience paid off. When the couple and I were cleared, they had upgraded us to Business Class for our 7-hour flight. We toasted the champagne before takeoff and enjoyed the remainder of our flight.A similar event happened to my wife and I when we were bumped off an Air NZ flight from AKL to LAX. Instead of getting upset, we laughed, joked with the agents and even though the next flight was full - they put us on early. Moral of the story is - it pays to be nice - even when the times are tough.

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Originally Posted by drewmeister_sd

My watch was way off and I almost missed the flight, thinking that I had more time to kill than I really did. HaHa, that would have been funny. NOT!

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Haha that happened to my parents when they came to SIN... were sitting having a coffee near the HKG staff desk and didn't realise what the time was. Missed their call and the flight!

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Originally Posted by drewmeister_sd

OH yeah...My watch was way off and I almost missed the flight, thinking that I had more time to kill than I really did. HaHa, that would have been funny. NOT!

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Almost happened to me too.....day light saving time in London. I didn't have a clue.