Compensation for Volunteering to be Bumped from a flight?

[lovetoscrap]

*not getting much response on the Transportation board so checking here also*

I am flying out tomorrow morning on Delta and when I checked in online it says that the flight is oversold and they will be asking for volunteers to be compensated for taking a later flight (which also all appear to be oversold!).

I haven't done this in a very long time. I know that years ago you could walk away with a few flight vouchers and a fistfull of cash. But I am thinking now they are pretty conservative and don't offer much--they just bump the last people to check in and they are lucky to get a free cocktail.

I am not in a huge hurry to get where I am going so I don't mind volunteering to be bumped, but I also want to be compensated for getting up at Zero-dark-thirty to be at the airport at 6am (8am flight) and then sit around for hours until the next flight (11ish). Not sure a $100 voucher or something like that will make it worth my time.

How much is reasonable to expect them to be compensating for this?

 

[Rora]

I just got bumped in early October. I got a $200 voucher! It was worth it. The next flight left like 20min after my original one.

 

[ElizK]

*not getting much response on the Transportation board so checking here also*

I am flying out tomorrow morning on Delta and when I checked in online it says that the flight is oversold and they will be asking for volunteers to be compensated for taking a later flight (which also all appear to be oversold!).

I haven't done this in a very long time. I know that years ago you could walk away with a few flight vouchers and a fistfull of cash. But I am thinking now they are pretty conservative and don't offer much--they just bump the last people to check in and they are lucky to get a free cocktail.

I am not in a huge hurry to get where I am going so I don't mind volunteering to be bumped, but I also want to be compensated for getting up at Zero-dark-thirty to be at the airport at 6am (8am flight) and then sit around for hours until the next flight (11ish). Not sure a $100 voucher or something like that will make it worth my time.

How much is reasonable to expect them to be compensating for this?

Usually they will ask for volunteers. If they get enough volunteers, then checkin time doesn't matter. They will bump the later checkins if there are not enough volunteers. They will probably start offering $100-$200.00. If you decide to take it, make sure you are confirmed on another flight. Otherwise you could sit around the airport all day hoping to get on something.

I work for an airline, and this is how we do it.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Hmmm. Not sure if $200 is even worth it. The next flight isn't for almost 3 hours then a later 2nd flight and that will cut into my shopping time when I get there! $200 voucher won't get me where I want to go next time. I think I would rather just keep my good seats and get there.

I am thinking my price is closer to about $400! $100 an hour for every hour I am delayed! (my layover will be longer if I wait for the next flight)

It might not be as bad if my airport had free wifi, but they charge!

 

[dnoyes]

In 2006 Delta gave us two free passes for any flight for the next 12 months. We ended up getting put on a United flight (by Delta) 20 minutes later. Made it to Orlando an hour before the Delta flight did. Called my oldest daughter and booked her with the Delta passes and her and her BF joined us in Disney the next day. They had APs so it was a free trip.

 

[surfgirl]

If you decide to take it, make sure you are confirmed on another flight.

This is great advice. The best way to be confirmed on another flight is to have a seat assignment.

I was once flying from Phl-Den... took 2 bumps en route and got there the same time as my boyfriend (he worked all day before flying out), so it worked out great! (that was 2 free vouchers for rt w/in US)

Most recently, we were flying the family (all 5) from Phl-Jacksonville to drive the next morning to Orlando. (using ff tickets and couldn't get into MCO). They were offering bumps, so we took them up on it IF they would fly us directly to Orlando instead. Since we had carried on all our gear (!!!!), they did it! We made sure to have seat numbers in hand - which were a little squirelly since we were late additions to the MCO flight, but we got 5 (count 'em, 5!!) rt ticket vouchers for bump. We used them to visit family the following summer in the Midwest. Plus we saved the drive from Jacksonville to Orlando. We were able to cancel our airport hotel in Jacksonville that night without penalty (thanks Marriott platinum) and switch the car reservation easily, too. (thanks Hertz Gold)

So... bring a book, bring some lunch, bring your patience. Carry on your luggage and go for it!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Delta merged with Northwest so there is a possibility that you could be put on a Northwest flight. It happened to use last year.

 

[MM27]

The highest I've seen offered has been $500, a hotel and meal voucher and first class seats on the next flight out the next morning. I think that was an extreme case though because we were on a cruise out of Texas and our ship was delayed coming into port. That messed up flights big time. I wish I could've taken them up on it, but I already had to call out of work one day because of the ship delay.

 

[slk537]

Our flight on October 7 was overbooked and they were offering $300 and a flight the next day to volunteers. It was NWA, but as you know they're now also Delta.

DH was tempted, but it was only a 6 night trip so I didn't want to cut it short.

 

[KristaTX]

We got I think $500 vouchers from American a few years ago for volunteering. Plus, and this was a huge bonus, we ended up on a flight that somehow actually got us home EARLIER than the one we were supposed to be on . It had to do with where the connections were through. It doesn't get any better than that .

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I've gotten 2 $300 vouchers in the past year from Continental. In either case I had to fly about about 3 hours later than I'd originally planned. They also gave me food vouchers and I had my aircard, so it wasn't bad in either case.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My suggestion is for you to approach the check in counter as soon as you get there, ask if the flight is overbooked, and tell them you would be interested in giving up your seat. Then you are first on the list and you can still decline if the offer isn't what you had hoped for.

We have been bumped several times using this strategy, I think the least we got was $200 and usually it's a free RT ticket to be used within a year.

My favorite "bumping" story was when DH and I flew from Detroit to LA back in 1985. We had specially priced tickets-$150 each. We took up an offer to be bumped, got free RT tickets and our new flight got us into LA about 20 minutes later than our original flight would have because it was a direct flight! THEN, when we went to use the free tickets later in the year, we got another offer, and turned them around again!

 

[jackemail]

Just on a Northwest/Delta flight Oct. 13 from Orlando to Memphis. First they asked for volunteers and a $200 travel voucher. By the time we left, they were offering a $600 voucher, and a flight that left 6 hours later.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

A couple years ago, we were on making a ATL-BOS-PWM connection (after coming in from Hawaii). The initial bump offer was $100 each, no bites. They bumped it to $400 and we took it (also got breakfast vouchers).

We sat in ATL about 6 hours, but, as others have said, ended up with a better flight. (Flew direct to PWM, and got in about 1/2 hour later than we would have on the original.)

 

[phorsenuf]

I love taking bumps and ask every time I fly. With Southwest you get $200 plus the cost of your flight. I'll take a bump any chance I get. I love having free airfare at my disposal.

 

[jenlynn0808]

We flew American last week and all of our flights were overbooked. They were offering $300 to volunteers.