Scoring Big from Oversold Flights

Airlines sell more seats than they can physically fit on a flight. They are betting that some folks either won’t show up or they will switch their flights, and they want revenue from every seat on the plane. They overbook flights based on statistics from prior flights.

But, past statistics aren’t always perfect predictors of the future. Sometimes, everyone shows up for a flight, and airlines have to figure out who won’t be getting on the flight. Passengers who volunteer to give up their seats (which is called voluntary denied boarding or VDB) sometimes reap huge rewards!

Last week, I reached out on social media to find out how are blog readers have benefited from oversold flights.

Vouchers X4 = Trip to Europe!

Harmony from Momma To Go recently told me about her experience with an oversold flight. Her family of four was flying back to New York from a Florida vacation. When they checked in for their flight the night before, Delta was already offering incentives from $200-$500 to take a later flight.

At the airport, it was obvious that the flight was oversold. Delta was now offering $600 vouchers. After discussing it with her husband for five minutes, they decided to go for it. The gate agent confirmed that the airline could use all four of their seats in exchange for $600 per person. That’s $2400 in free future travel!

The catch was that their new flight had a long connection in Atlanta, and they would arrive home 7 hours later than their original flight. Fortunately, Harmony and her husband have Delta Sky Club Lounge access through the Amex Platinum card. They used the card’s airline credit to get their kids access to the lounge as well. So, their 3-hour layover in Atlanta wasn’t too terrible.

Harmony shared that their vouchers are not only good on Delta, but they are also valid for gift cards at Visa, Royal Caribbean, Kohl’s and more. Her family is leaning towards using the vouchers on Delta for a trip to Italy in the fall. What a deal!

More Free Travel and Other Benefits with Bumps

Blog reader Anna says, “I always volunteer to bump. I have actually done it four times.” The first time on United, she received overnight hotel accommodations, dinner and vouchers equaling $800! She used the vouchers to fly to New Mexico and Amsterdam to visit family and friends. What a score!

Then, while flying back from Amsterdam on her free flight, she volunteered to get bumped to the next day. She received hotel, dinner and a flight back from Europe in business class.

On another trip, Anna was using Delta miles to fly from Austin to LAX via DFW and SLC. She volunteered to bump. The gate agent put her on a non-stop flight to LAX in first class. Much better than her old itinerary! This same bump happened yet again on another trip flying back from Austin on miles. She had to wait four hours in the airport, but got a non-stop flight back in first class. Anna says, “It’s nice to get a bump to first class when you’re on miles.” Yes, it is!

Toni was flying Southwest Airlines solo from Las Vegas to Dallas via SLC. She volunteered to be bumped and was offered a $600 voucher to take the next flight. Southwest also gave her a credit for her original ticket of $200, so she now has $800 to spend on Southwest Airlines. Funny thing is, even though she had to wait in the airport, her new non-stop flight arrived earlier than her original flight. Toni, I would spend that voucher on a ticket to Hawaii if I were you!

Downsides to Voluntary Denied Boarding

While you can really score big from volunteering to be bumped off a flight, there are some downsides that make it painful to some folks. There are reasons why not everyone is jumping on these offers.

Time delay: Most of the time, when you accept a voluntary bump, you will wait longer in the airport. This isn’t a big deal to some, especially if you have airport lounge access through a credit card. But even with lounge access, the waiting can be hard if you have young kids. Also, your arrival time may be pushed back much farther, which disrupts your sleep schedule.

Bad seat assignments: If you get assigned to a new flight, your assigned seats might not be as ideal as your original flight. You may be separated from your family or seated toward the back of the plane.

Separation from luggage: Many times when you are bumped, the decision is very last-minute and your luggage goes with your original flight. When you arrive at your final destination, you spend extra time finding your luggage.

Loss of vacation time: If you accept a bump at the beginning of your vacation, you may miss part or all of your first day of planned fun. If it’s a long trip, it might not be a big deal. But if it’s a short 2-4 day trip, missing one day has a huge impact.

When VDB Just Isn’t Worth It

Michael travels often for business. He has been on numerous flights that have asked for volunteers, and he turns it down almost every time. “For the most part, they were often offered when I was on a business trip and I had to be at the specific next destination at a certain time. There were times I had flexibility, but the offers either were not big enough or I really just didn’t want the hassle of changing my schedule to accommodate it.” He made one exception when the timing worked out for a refund of his ticket price plus a $300 voucher.

My husband is very reluctant to volunteer because of how often he travels for business. At the end of a trip, he just wants to get home. On his last flight home from San Francisco, the airline was offering $500 vouchers and he didn’t volunteer. What?!?!?! He just wanted to get home to his family, and even waiting a few hours wasn’t worth it to him.

Sometimes as a parent, you really just have to get home due to childcare issues. Blog reader Erica was almost involuntarily bumped on AA, but she really needed to get home to her kids. Thankfully, a fellow passenger volunteered to take her place for a $300 voucher.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago when I was flying solo from Denver to Dallas. I was a wreck because I had just visited my dad, who was dying and in hospice care. However, I needed to get home because my husband had to fly out for a business trip. My flight on United was oversold, and there were at least 20 people waiting on standby. Nobody wanted to take the vouchers. I was sitting near the gate agents, and I heard them say they were going to pick someone traveling alone to be involuntarily bumped. Not me, not me! Thankfully, they picked another traveler and I made it on the flight.

Bottom Line

If you are flexible with your travel plans, you can score big when your flight is oversold. Some people purposefully book flights that have a greater potential to be oversold to increase their odds of getting free travel (see this article). But most of the time, it comes down to luck.

Have you ever volunteered to be bumped from a flight? Why or why not? Was it worth it?

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