"Volunteers are needed to take a later flight" Would you take the offer? Have you?

I think it’s like playing poker. You have to look around and also eavesdropping is informative. You want to know if there is a group taking the same amount as you expect so to position yourself close to the counter. But everyone has their threshold and to one a good price is frowned upon by others. l’ll also book with cushion (not for offers but delays / unforeseen issues) so to me 400$ for 2 hours is acceptable compensation.

 

Decades ago, I took those offers. There were more flights, and every plane wasnt packed.

Ive only received the email once in recent trips. I declined
- I didnt want to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing at the airport until last minute
- what flight, when, would I be rescheduled? Crappy seat assignment?
- $250s not enough

In response to a few earlier comments about baggage : post 9/11, if a passenger was bumped, they removed the bags. Passengers and checked bags were not permitted to fly on separate equipment. It created delays, while bags were retrieved from cargo...

I was once refused access to a delayed earlier flight to my destination, still at the gate adjacent my flight. The gate agent told me there were plenty of seats on the earlier flight... fees weren't an issue. But my bags were checked on the later flight, and passengers and bags could not be sent on separate flights for security reasons.

Have they relaxed that rule?

 

I will say that Delta sends my bag without me. It has gone while I took a bump, and last trip I tried to fly on an earlier flight that didn't have room by the time everyone boarded, but the bag went. At least with Delta, I find the bag outside the McCarren office, not circling on the carousel. But, no one has stopped me when I duck under the straps to retrieve it.

 

$250 is nada to me.

Recently, AC overbooked two Vegas flights. Friend of my Sis held out for $1200, plus meals, plus Hotel (if necessary). They did get her on the Red Eye later.

THAT would be my number.

 

I don't think I would. The primary reason not to accept the offer is that traveling today is not what it was back in the 80's. The airline would have to offer an alarming amount of cash & prizes to get me off the plane. It's not that I'm pressed for time. It's that I'm giving up the known for the unknown (terrible seating, even that aircraft might be overbooked, it doesn't leave until tomorrow and I may not want to camp in the airport if no hotel is offered, etc., etc., etc.).

 

positive bag match is only required for international flights. If you take a bump and your bag is loaded it’s going to go. If it’s not loaded it depends. Direct flight and the bag will go and you can pick It up when you get there but if you’re on a connecting flight it might get rerouted to go with you.

 

Oh my gosh, SO this.

Going out? Get out of my way, Vegas is calling, and nothing is stopping me!

coming back? I’d consider it based on how LONG the delay is!

 

Yep, and especially with the Boeing MAX situation, many of the legacy airlines have significantly reduced capacity. I generally fly AA, and I can't remember the last time I saw an empty seat; usually about half the time I get a note in the app asking for volunteers.

 

We took a bump on an American flight home from Vegas 2 years ago. They booked us on the same flight we had, 24 hrs later. When the gate agent handed us our boarding passes for the next day flight we saw she gave us seats in first class!! which was AWESOME. We also got a $500 voucher each and $25 per person in airport food credit. Would do it again in a minute Although it is an easier choice to make because I always book the CET room for an extra day, since it is alway a comp I always shoot for a return flight for 3 to 5PM and it is nice to have the room up until we need to leave for the airport.

 

We were offered this once when we were travelling with my parents. They were dead against it, so it didn't happen. They were going for two weeks and we were going for six. I know they wouldn't have coped checking in on their own, but one day for a $500 credit? We would have loved an extra trip, and the parents would have enjoyed it too, but they didn't believe they would get the credit.

 

This was on the way back home. They offered $500 voucher and the flight was 5 years later so I took it. I got a better seat on the next flight and some meal vouchers.

The only bad thing is I already checked in my bag. And also had a carry on.

 

I would do it for a bump to first/business on the next flight, assuming it was the same day or early the following morning.

 

I dont think any airline will guarantee an upgrade to first/business at the time you give up your seat....unless you were first/biz already.... depending upon how long until the new flight......

They may upgrade you when issuing boarding pass for the new flight, depending upon availability..

I suspect its because they're always holding back some premium seats for last minute travellers and premium member upgrades...

Couldnt hurt to ask. Been over 15 years, different communications methods... I've volunteered to take a later flight for only an upgrade, no other compensation; they scoffed at me.

 

Got a $1000 flight credit and a $1000 Amex gift card from Delta on 2 different occasions. The flight credit got me an extra day in Vegas and the $1000 amex GC only cost me a 3 hour extra wait at JFK heading to Vegas.

Delta offered me a room the time in Vegas but I just texted my host at Cosmo and she booked me back in for another night.

Would definitely do it again for a grand

 

I've never gotten an email request, but I don't volunteer to get bumped on my flights going to Vegas. LOL Although, I don't mind volunteering when returning home, if the next flight is only a few hours later.

So far, I've only volunteered 3 times with SWA and 2 times with American. Two were $500 vouchers and the 3rd was $100 with SWA. That $100 would have been $900, if the passenger they were waiting for had shown up, but he was no show, so they gave me $100 just for volunteering.

The most I received was from American which was $800, but that was on a return flight from a business trip to New York. The other was $400 from a return trip from Reno.

 

No way. I have money. I don't have time.

 

it's a newer thing - some of them have rolled out emails/in app/at check in offers. You may see it more often.

 

I have taken a bump on AA for a $350 voucher (work trip) - only a couple hour delay which gave us time to have a nice sit-down lunch vs. a sandwich sitting at the gate. On SW I took a $450 credit for a 4 hour delay however that created a 2 1/2 hr drive home from Minneapolis in the middle of the night. Turned down a $600? plus hotel & food on SW when I was with my mom (handicapped). They wanted us to spend the night in St Louis (mid-point) and then go next morning. Trying to get her to airport early would have been too difficult. No one was taking it so about 15 of the C group did not make it on that plane (it was after bad storms in Denver so a lot of flight issues). Had they offered it up a tad earlier I would have done a bit of flight checking on my phone to see if they could have connected us through Phoenix to Vegas vs. going direct the next morning. They were only focusing on direct from St Louis to Vegas flight change the next morning.

Best was Delta in April. A horrid April snowstorm caused issues in Minnesota & Wisconsin. I first had to get an extra night at Paris (already used my 5 comp nights) for about $90 (during Broadcasting conference time). Rebooked Delta for same flight one day later. When I made it to the airport I stayed close to the podium and they upfront offered $900 voucher for taking a 6 pm flight back (originally around 11 am). I put my name on the list. When she wrote up the vouchers for the 5 people she gave us $1000 because we were all nice enough to volunteer and she didn't have to battle to get people. When I let my husband know he told me I wouldn't make it in the driveway yet anyway, so when I arrived at MSP at 11 pm I booked a room at a nearby Fairfield Inn. I received $1000 (used for Delta gift card), spent $93 on hotel in MSP - but would have had to get one theire or in Eau Claire anyway since I couldn't get into my driveway and I ended up burning one more vacation day. All in all it still came out great for as I had those funds indirectly to use towards two flights to a wedding in San Antonio in October so my hourly wage for the delay was great.

Would I do it for $250? Maybe. That would all be dependent on the length of the delay - I don't have a defined minimum. Would I stay overnight for $250 & a hotel room for an overnight stay? Yes, on the way home from anywhere but not on the way out. The last time the kiosk prompted me for how much would I want a voucher for if I took a bump I entered $550 but didn't get an offer that time.

 

A good piece of advice is buried in here - if there's an option to do this, don't just take the rebooking blindly. Get your phone out and look for alternative travel arrangements yourself. Be prepared to tell the gate agent I want flight 1528 to ORD tomorrow at 8:30 am.

 

Definitely - which is what I would have been doing if traveling myself. With a handicapped individual I was a bit more in uptight mode even though we had preboarding on SW so we knew we would get on. I wouldn't have cared what time I would have arrived that night if I had been alone. I'd have been happy to connect through Phoenix. Heck, I'd have gone to California and back again and arrived at midnight for a bump lol. And just another reason I never book a show for arrival night either. If I have a chance to pre-fund the next trip (by airfare) by arriving later, I definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity.