For a long time, airlines have been gambling with seat availability. They make educated guesses about how many people they think will make it to a flight or cancel, then oversell tickets to compensate for the potential empty seats.
Though inconvenient to many involuntarily delayed customers, this overbooking practice doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. While some passengers have hated this economic precaution airlines take, some have benefitted.
When asked to give up their seats in exchange for huge compensation, these patient travelers readily agreed and profited from that decision. Here are 10 of their experiences:
1. A Worthy Seat
One passenger who had boarded United Airlines was paid compensation for giving up their seat to the tune of $2000. First, they were offered $1,000, but the offer doubled to $2,000 before they decided. The airline checked the passenger in for the next day’s flight, gave them a $2,000 Travel Certificate (valid for one year), paid for their taxi home, and gave them a $45 voucher for the next day’s breakfast. The passenger was also offered a hotel reservation, but they lived just 20 minutes from the airport, so they turned that down.
2. First Class for Free
A man and his wife were offered $1,500 each for the next day’s flight. They agreed, but the airline called back four hours later to say that the next day’s flight was overbooked at 120% as well. They offered another $500, which the passenger declined and requested an upgrade to First Class for him and his wife on the next available flight. The airline agreed, and the couple still got to keep the $3,000 voucher on top of that.
3. A Family Affair
A passenger and his family of six were paid $1,000 each to be bumped back for three hours. The passenger was taking the flight to see their in-laws. Who wouldn’t take that offer?
4. All in a Day’s Work
On a Delta Airlines flight to Ireland, the airline needed four volunteers to give up their seats. They started at $500, but that didn’t convince anyone. They moved it up to $800, but no one jumped at the opportunity. Then they escalated the offer to $2,000, and a lady with three teenage kids ran to the desk. She made $8,000 for those four seats. Easy day’s work.
5. New York to Miami
Delta Airlines paid a passenger $1,800 for volunteering to take a later flight. He was on an 11:30 a.m. flight from New York to Miami, so they rebooked him on another one three hours later since he wouldn’t be on the flight. He had the time to get some lunch and get pending work during the delay.
Since he was given the option to take the money in the form of debit cards, he more or less used the money to pay for his kids’ summer camp, which was a beautiful way to spend it.
6. Patience Pays
In 2014, there was a huge convention in Oklahoma City, but one flight for the convention was oversold by 18-20. The gate agents received a call that those 18-20 people must get on the flight. So, they had to look for other people who would volunteer to give up their seats. The initial offer started at $600 plus a hotel reservation for the night. Also, they’d be given an automatic booking on the first flight out in the morning. That figure soon climbed to $2,500 and eventually ended at $4,500, with four people claiming the money.
7. Premium Economy for a Bargain
One passenger was traveling from Germany to the US on business class in a Lufthansa Airline, and their employer paid for the flight. Business class was already overbooked, so the airline offered $2,000 cash if any business passenger wanted to switch to premium economy on the same flight. The passenger took it, and what a good deal it was! Premium Economy isn’t all that different from business, after all. Sometimes, especially on domestic flights, the only distinction is drinks and a warm towel.
8. A Fine First Offer
A passenger once got $2,500 compensation on a first offer from United Airlines. Being offered that amount sounded so surreal to them that they jumped up to accept. They only needed to wait three hours for the next flight. It goes to show how much airlines are willing to compensate when they badly need people to give up seats.
9. $2k for a Two-Hour Delay
In one amazing deal, a passenger and his wife got $2,000 each to fly out 2.5 hours later from Chicago to London. The offer was unbelievable to the couple because the second flight was even better since it was scheduled for 9 p.m. and would give them enough time to relax.
10. Fortunate on the Way to Frankfurt
A flight to Detroit from Frankfurt was overbooked by three, and the plane wouldn’t move until three people gave up their seats for gift card/travel credit and a later flight time. The offer started at $500 but went up as time went on. Two people claimed it at $1,500, but nobody claimed the third position till they raised it to $3,000, and someone grabbed it with both hands.
(Source: Reddit)
