?? Compensation for voluntary bump on Southwest??

[phred52]

Here's the thing.... We are scheduled to fly to Orlando on the first early morning flight tomorrow. Our flight is sold out. The entire day is sold out. Not one ticket is available on the nine flights going to MCO from Buffalo on Southwest.... The next day is sold out on the first 5 flights of the day.

If we were to accept a bump, what compensation might we expect??

I'm thinking that the offer will be the cost of the ticket plus $200. Not nearly enough since I figure we'd get in about 8PM the following day, missing 2 entire days. I like to plan ahead, think through what options might be..... We love bumps, planning time into out trips for that. BUT missing two days is not worth about $280 to me.

Anyone have experience with bumps on Southwest that get you to your destination 34 hours later??

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Southwest usually refunds you in the form of credit vouchers the cost of the leg from which you're voluntarily giving up your seat and places you on the next available flight. The vouchers are good for a year. Involuntary bumps will garner you additional cash. The flights are likely NOT sold out at the moment but appear to be so in order for SWA to accomodate passengers previously bumped due to weather.

 

[disfan07]

We did a voluntary bump on SW early in 2009 and we were each given a free RT airline ticket. There was no amount set to it. Just one free RT ticket each.

We have flown SW 6 times since that trip and have actually never heard them ask for volunteers since than so I am not sure what it has been lately.

 

[msmayor]

It really all depends on how many seats they are looking for and what the availability is for flights later in the day. If those being bumped don't have to sit and wait too long, the compensation might not be as great as if they had to wait all day.

Really hard to predict.

 

[seashoreCM]

They will announce when your replacment flight will be (or they may announce that there won't be a replacement fligha dn you must stand by).

Then you decide whether the round trip voucher(s) or other compensation is worth your while for the added wait.

 

[rubato]

We were offered $200 each plus a flight the next day. Didn't take it, but seriously considered it. The people that wanted the seats were throwing a cussing, screaming fit and I felt so sorry for their child that we were about to say yes, when someone beat us to it.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I've only seen a request for voluntary bumps once. This was after a big storm in the NE that shut down airports for a while (geez, flashback) so they were trying to get people who had been stranded in Orlando home. This was the last flight of the day. They offered a $200 credit per person plus a hotel for the night and food allowance as well as seats on the first flight out the next morning. They only needed 2 seats and we were a party of 4 or else we would have taken it.