brak666

I think a lot of it depends on the mood of the agent at the time. I know I'm certainly more inclined to help people and want to make them happy when they're not being total assholes. Also I think it's a lot easier to get people onto a connecting flight that they want when they're in no particular hurry to get to their final destination. I mean if you show up for your flight and it's full and there are no other flights going where you're going that day, then there's really nothing they can do for you. Certainly, bitching out the agent at the gate who has nothing to do with booking or scheduling flights is a pointless endeavor and like I said, only makes them less inclined to go out of their way for you.

Though the best way to avoid being unable to get on your flight due to overbooking is to follow both my suggestions. Show up early, and listen intently for them to call you for boarding.