The whole United fiasco has really opened the general public’s eyes to the ways airlines overbook. I know many people think United didn’t overbook and it was an operational issue but call it what you want—either way there weren’t enough seats for the paying passengers so in my eyes they overbooked.

My last two tips were well received and shared hundreds of times on social media:

To dig a little deeper and to shed light on the situation for those who aren’t familiar with the ways that passengers can benefit from the airlines overbooking, I’ve created this step-by-step guide on how to get bumped.

According to data from the Department of Transportation, 46,000 travelers were involuntarily bumped from flights in 2015. On the flip side, there were 505,000 voluntarily bumped. That’s a huge difference. The reason why is that many travelers don’t mind volunteering their seats to wait for the next flight out. In fact, some people will even book flights just so they can get bumped to earn extra cash for travel.

As we all know, the airlines have cut capacity, which means that most flights are operating with a full house. This increases the chances of getting bumped, especially on peak travel days like Monday, Friday, Sunday, and around the holidays.

Here’s how to get bumped:

1. Check flight loads
Most airlines will allow you to see your flight’s seating chart (go into your reservation online and click the “change/view seats” link). But it’s best to try booking a ticket (don’t purchase) on your particular flight. If they aren’t selling seats then they are full or oversold. You can also call the airline directly and ask the operator if the flight is oversold. Here’s a handy list of all the airline websites and their toll-free numbers.

2. Volunteer to get bumped
Airline reps love it when passengers volunteer to get bumped. When I’m playing the bumping game, I will usually check-in with an agent at the ticket desk to let them know. Then I will go to the gate and wait for an agent to arrive—usually an hour before departure. I then ask politely if they are oversold and if they need volunteers. If so, I ask to be included on the list. NOTE: Most of the time, agents won’t know if they need volunteers until midway through boarding so they will put you on a list and hold your boarding pass. Tip: Don’t keep bugging the agent…it will only tick them off and decrease your chances of getting the good stuff.

3. Wait close to the gate
Sometimes agents come to the gate late and just get on the PA and announce they are looking for volunteers. That is why you should be standing close to the desk so you can be one of the first people to jump in line if they ask.

4. Be sure to get on another flight
Before accepting a bump, first find out how much they are offering; domestically it’s usually around $400 and internationally it can be up to $1,350. Then find out when the next flight they can get you on is. If it’s an overnight bump, the airline should provide you with a hotel, transportation, meal vouchers and sometimes even a calling card, though not always.

5. Get a cash voucher not a flight
This is very important. Do not accept a roundtrip flight because they come with heavy restrictions and blackout dates. Plus, you won’t get frequent flier credit for your flight(s). Instead, ask for a cash voucher that’s usually valid for one year from the date of issue for that airline. Note: Some airlines (Ahem, Delta) will even offer you gift cards to stores like Amazon.com.

Good to know: If the airline involuntarily bumps you (meaning you didn’t volunteer to get bumped), be sure to ask for cash, not a voucher. This happened to my sister and her family when they were traveling from Miami to Barbados because they were the last to check in and they each received $1,350.

6. Be nice
It’s very important to be genuinely nice to the agent. I always try to make friends with them and will even bring them chocolates since most passengers treat them terribly.

7. Ask for a lounge pass, upgrade, hotel, and food
If the agent is struggling to find volunteers, the money usually goes up and so do the perks. I normally won’t change my plans for anything less than $500, even if it’s a short bump. But I will always see if they can bump me into first class on the next flight or give me a premium economy seat. Before I had credit cards that got me into the lounges, I would ask for a lounge pass as well. If you don’t have one, ask for lounge access and a meal voucher (usually $10-$15).

8. Do it all over again on the next flight
During busy periods, you can get bumped multiple times the same day or over a week. It’s a great way to get some serious money towards flights. Tip: When you get bumped, take a photo of the voucher and email it to yourself so you don’t lose it. Also, set reminders as to when they expire so you don’t lose out on your hard earned bump.

9. Don’t check luggage
You will have a much greater chance of getting bumped if you don’t have checked luggage since it’s a pain and very time consuming for the airlines to find your bag in the cargo hold.

Good to know: If you choose to volunteer and they don’t need you (they let you know at the last minute), you may lose your overhead luggage space and sometimes agents could give away your seat and you might get stuck with a middle. Ouch!

Please let me know if you agree or disagree with these tips or if you think I missed anything.

Happy travels!

 

____________________________________________________________

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71 Comments On "Why You Want to Get Bumped Off Your Next Flight (and How to Do It)"
  1. claudia|

    My last flight was on Delta LAS to JFK on Jan 1 at 955PM getting in at 530 AM. That night (Jan 2) in NYC was the start of the snowstorm. I was considering being voluntarily bumped so I checked flights on the morning of Jan1 and saw there were about a dozen flights, both non-stop and otherwise, available to JFK that evening and the next day. When I checked in online later that morning, boom, my flight was oversold and they wanted volunteers.

    Hoping for a bump, I got to the airport at 6PM but the agent said I needed to speak with the gate agent. I waited at the gate, literally in the seat across from the check-in area for the gate agent to arrive. The gate agent appeared early for our flight, at about 715 and I asked nicely to be bumped. She seemed relieved as she advised me she needed 10 seats due to emergencies with the upcoming snowstorm.

    The agent could only move me to a 615 am flight the next morning that was not non-stop and arrived at JFK at about 4PM (about 2 hours before the storm). She also could not assure me where they would put me up, if they would feed me and if they would provide transportation to/from the airport. The clincher, she could only provide me with a $300 voucher. I thought that if they were that desperate, they would be prepared to give me more and be sure of what they could offer. I was very disappointed with Delta, did not take their offer and flew home that night. (I got lucky as the flight she was going to put me on, got stuck in Detroit during the layover due to the storm).

  2. Barbara|

    Darn! Now everyone else will know our secrets! In Frankfurt this summer we were asked if we at check-in if we wanted to volunteer. Bad weather had kept a flight from the U.S. from arriving in Frankfurt the day before, meaning there was no plane to take the passengers FROM Frankfurt. We were offered $400 cash or a $600 voucher. I asked if we could be moved to Business Class the next day, but was told no. We declined the offer – we’d been in Germany for a month and just wanted to get home.

    At the gate the offer was upped to $600 cash or a $900 voucher, so we accepted the voucher, knowing we’d be flying to Europe next summer. The gate agents told us we could probably volunteer the next day, so when we were offered the same $400 cash/$600 voucher at check-in we weren’t surprised but we did decline. Once again at the gate the offer was upped, so we enquired about combining vouchers. We found out that we couldn’t combine 2 vouchers for one flight, but decided that $600 cash combined with the $900 voucher from the previous day would take care of next summer’s flights, we agreed. And yes, I AM that disciplined – those checks went directly into our vacation acct!

    We were put up in a beautiful hotel near the airport and given vouchers for all 3 meals. Luckily for us our grandchildren live in Frankfurt so both days we just took the train from the airport into the city and got to spend unexpected time with them!

    We were a little disappointed that we weren’t needed to volunteer the third day – we’d already decided to accept a $900 voucher for a visit to Ireland….maybe next time!

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Nice work!

    2. Gabriela Von Odyssey|

      Last week I was flying home to Tampa from Little Rock, Arkansas. It was Sunday and my connecting flight from Atlanta was oversold. They were already looking for volunteers as soon as I checked in online day before that. So I did volunteer. And yes, as soon as we arrived to Atlanta, they were looking for volunteers again. I RAN to the counter, lol. I was hoping for a voucher for such a long time, and didn’t expect I’ll get lucky THAT day. Anyway, I volunteered, got a hotel for that night, transportation to and from it, first class seat for the next day, I could pick the time, which was nice, but most importantly I got voucher for $600.00

      1. Johnny Jet|

        Good work!

  3. Kerry Ascione|

    Great post. Does this really work for a family?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      As long as the flight is oversold but the number of people in your family. Or half can go and half can take a different flight.

    2. Gabriela|

      Yes, it does. My boyfriend flies for work all the time and couple months ago he was “stuck” somewhere cuz of oversold flight. I say stuck, but not really,lol. he volunteered to be stuck ;-)
      So, they were looking for more volunteers and no one was wiling to do so. The asked a family of 4,they declined. They said “kids really want to go to Disney”. Hellooooo???!!! I am your parent and we are GETTING these vouchers, lol. Delta was offering $600.00/person, so they could have made $2,400.00 in vouchers. For that kind of money I MAKE my kids stay and take longer Disney vacation next time :-)
      It was a spring break that time and my boyfriend scored $1,300.00 that day, getting home only 2 hours later that is original scheduled time. Sweeetttttt :-)))

    3. Gabriela|

      Yesssss!!!

    4. Chris P.|

      Yes indeed. We are a family of 6 and I quickly scuttled to the counter when United asked for volunteers. They were really happy to give us $3600 in vouchers for a two (2!!) hour delay.

  4. TheSterlingTraveler|

    Good informative article. I just wrote about my experience using a voucher as I do believe lessons can be learned when redeeming vouchers.

    1. Anonymous|

      Delta only allows to use one voucher per future flight i used to use 2-3 vouchers for one purchase years ago. Now they restricted to one voucher. I dont know about other airlines. Other than that , delta has no blackout dates for vouchers. It’s like cash and it is deposited obto your skymiles account immediately. You mstcuse it within 365 days.

  5. Rico|

    Dang…I so should have taken the bump!

    I flew from MCO to LAX on 01/02/2014, and the gate agent offered $500, hotel stay, and flight the next morning. I didn’t even bother because I was planning on meeting up with few buddies for drink that night.
    Thinking back…i totally could’ve used that $500 voucher. And another day in Orlando!

  6. DHK|

    It also helps if you have carry-on luggage only.

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Great point!

  7. Frank J|

    Yes it need it does work with a family. We were bumped as a family of, twice. Included in that was a first class upgrade, hotel and food vouchers and an unexpected visit to San Francisco. Key is to be very very nice to the gate agents.

  8. Zeke|

    I volunteered once and they ended up not needing to bump anyone but the gate agent put me in first class from San Diego to Atlanta. The next time I ran into a certainly oversold flight, I really couldn’t arrive later than my flight so I asked if I could take an earlier flight instead that showed lots of availability. They said sure but then wanted to charge me change fees for both legs of my flight so I declined and they ended up bumping about a dozen people involuntarily from my assigned flight. I just don’t get the logic in that.

  9. John R|

    In my experience w/ United, if you accept a bump at a certain offer level (let’s say $200) and then they still need more volunteers and raise the offer (to let’s say $400), they extend the $400 voucher to each bumped passenger even if you initially volunteered earlier at the $200 offer rate. Does anyone know if that’s still protocol for United and/ or all carriers?

    1. EC|

      I noticed the last couple of times I checked in online with United, they asked if I want to volunteer during the check in process for $400 voucher. I declined because I really needed to get there that day but wondered if the best way is to decline online then volunteer at the gate?

      1. g2-db51ece15477e8cad4f8ae4cc5a11649|

        Do you mean I will know I’m getting the voucher and don’t even have to go to the airport? Sounds too good to be true! That means I can continue enjoying what I’m doing rather than sit around in the airport waiting for my next flight. I wonder if other airlines do this during online checkin. I typically fly Southwest and American.

        1. Johnny Jet|

          You would need to go to the airport and wait to the very last minute to see if they need volunteers

    2. JJ|

      Good point. This has been true for me on DL, AA, and UA

    3. Chris P.|

      As of last night, yes. My United flight was oversold and I was first to volunteer at $700. They needed three more seats and it went to $1000. Two others volunteered at that point and we all received the $1000 voucher. So, at least with United, if you volunteer at he first/lowest offer, it can get better for all if they start raising the offer. Sweet!

  10. Dave|

    I was recently flying on American from Tampa, Fla. to Buffalo, NY. The flight took me to Chicago, where I transferred to a smaller flight and on to Buffalo. Hated the smaller flight, I am 6’2 and the cabin on that small flight must have been 5’8″ I had to slouch to get to my seat, which of course was in the rear. On the return flight they asked for volunteers and I got bumped from the flight from Buffalo to Chicago, which would have been the same small flight. When they asked for volunteers they said I would receive a voucher for another round-trip flight. After the flight left and I walked up to the counter they handed me a check for $800. They also put me on a flight to Washington, DC, which had a larger cabin area. I arrived back in Florida about two hours later than planned.

  11. Jack Pray|

    This goes back a ways but my partner and I were flying one way from San Diego to EWR on a 2 for 1 ticket on AA (total cost of the ticket was $283). We volunterred for a bump and we each got a $400 cash voucher and were put on another flight leaving 15 minutes later into JFK and first class. On arrival in JFK they put us in a car to our hotel, no cost, and had our bags delivered from EWR. On return we were flying on UA from EWR to San Diego and got bumped, $500 cash each, first class to ORD and economy to San Diego. So our $283 trip got us $1800 cash, first class most flights and transportation into NYC.

  12. Tana B|

    This is something I have never done before but considering I fly a lot and never really have a time schedule I will have to give it a try

  13. Bob|

    I cannot forget, many years ago one Sunday, returning to my home in Manhattan Beach (LAX) from SYR via STL on TWA. I had an early morning flight out of SYR. The 10 AM, STL to LAX, was oversold. I volunteered, collected about $300 and was confirmed on the next flight, 2 hours later. That flight, also overbooked, provided the same benefit, .i.e., $300 plus confirmation, however, in FIRST Class on the next flight. Again, the third oversold, and a cash and first class confirmation on the next, and 4th flight, which was not oversold. Three “bumps” in about 6 hours! Certainly, a day well remembered.

  14. Zak|

    Are you at risk of your hold baggage flying off without you or are they always removed for security reasons?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      They are supposed to be removed due to security.

  15. Ed B.|

    Here’s an insight on volunteering for bumping of Spirit. We were flying from San Diego to Las Vegas the day before Superbowl. The second busiest day in Vegas behind New Years. The Spirit reps were desperately trying to get passengers to give up their seats during boarding. First offering vouchers for anywhere they fly, then upping it to two. Plus they would put you on a Southwest flight leaving in a couple hours. My wife and I went for it and we received four vouchers. During the announcement we were told that there would be no blackout dates.

    Blackout dates did apply and I couldn’t fly on the initial dates I wanted for two different cities. For two tickets (San Diego -Chicago R/T), they waived the cost of the flight which was a savings of $190 each. However we had to pay the fees, taxes, seats, agent transaction fees ($20), and bag checking. Our initial out of pocket was about $320 for both of us. This is a pretty good price, but I expected to only have to pay the federal taxes and fees. Spirit hides a lot of self imposed fees in addition to the base price of the flight + pre-flight seat selection + carry-on or checked bag fee. To save $40, we could have not picked seats in advance. Our of pocket (with $40 for one checked bag r/t) was about $280. No bad really, but beware of all the extras that Spirit charges and rules. It was not as good as expected.

  16. Bylo Selhi|

    Also in my experience airlines are reluctant to compensate passengers flying on reward tickets who volunteer to get bumped, at least on international flights. I’ve tried unsuccessfully.

    I don’t know if or how they’d compensate a rewards passenger if they had to bump them on an involuntary basis. That probably depends on the regulations in each jurisdiction.

    1. michael|

      I have volunteered to be bumped on an AA award tkt,ORD-YUL.
      Received a $500 voucher,hotel and a meal voucher.
      Michael

  17. Stacy|

    I have volunteered to be bumped several times flying Southwest and as far as we can tell, they will not give anythinh but vouchers and never for more than the inital cost of your tickets.

    1. CAA|

      I volunteered to be bumped on a Southwest flight from SFO to SAN last summer. Voucher is good for a year, and the value was $300 plus original cost of the one-way airfare, so total was approx $400, which is not bad for a two hour delay.

  18. Susan|

    My party of 4 was offered a bump in Rome last week $600 cash or $900 travel voucher plus hotel, food. I didn’t need to be back but the rest did, so I went along with them, but I really want to make this work in the future. Thanks for the tips!!!

  19. obsolete|

    Perhaps there was a time when I was near the top of the heap for such travel perks. On a domestic ticket 15 years ago I set the stage for a $2000 bump from Detroit to Dulles.

    The chocolate example is also personal to me as I presented NWA employees with over 500
    pounds of 10lb chocolate bars, thanking them for their great service to me.

    But now…I am over all that

  20. Gooser|

    A few years back, I was travelling on business and got bumped. Alaska gave me a $300 cash voucher plus my employer paid me hourly at time-and-a-half to sit at the airport for a few hours. Not too shabby.

  21. Elvira|

    United airline agent La Toya Love (who is amazingly great at her job) was about to force a few people out of the aircraft but I decided I would get off and so did a dozen of other people volunteered. Our flight was from D.C. to San Antonio, Tx. Voucher valued was the highest I have ever heard for domestic flights – $1,300!!!

  22. Rein|

    What’s the best/non-greedy amount to ask for when volunteering to be bumped? I’m actually leaving a day earlier then I need to in hopes that I get something but dont wanna be greedy and have them deny me and wind up with nothing!

  23. Lauren|

    Getting bumped can be a good way to extend your vacation or get bonus flights, but it can also become a nightmare if you aren’t looking over the agent’s shoulder when they rebook you. My husband and I volunteered to be bumped on our way from NY to Amsterdam, but the agent either didn’t notice or didn’t care to tell us that we would then be leaving at different times and on different flights from Dublin to Amsterdam. After arriving in Amsterdam on my own with a dead phone battery, I was certain I would never see my husband again. By some miracle I did manage to find him at the airport, but I will certainly be more vigilant the next time I decide to take the offer to be bumped.

  24. Tracy|

    Big blizzard storm touching down in NY today. And the NY airports are apparently shutting down.

    My husband and I are scheduled to fly into Philly tomorrow. I’m thinking there may be travelers who need to take our flight to Philly in order to arrive at a NY destination for important business. Is there any way to offer via phone to be bumped to another flight?

    We are flying USAir, and on their websites, they are allowing people to switch flights for free if they are flying into Philly, NY, or most east coast airports, today or tomorrow.

    We would LOVE to get $400 cash or a voucher, and accept a later flight, but barring that compensation, if the flight can arrive safely, I think we would want to keep our designated flight.

    WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Airlines don’t get compensate for bad weather

  25. Anonymous|

    Also — is it advisable to check in now? Or later?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Depends on the airline. Delta will offer you to volunteer online at check-in

      1. Adriana|

        When I checked in last night the bids they would accept were $200-400. I got to the airport in time for an earlier flight hoping for a reverse bump. Delta is too stupid to do that. Turned out that flight was oversold and they offered $800 for a volunteer at the gate. When I got to my gate I went straight to the gate agent and told her I knew they were oversold and would volunteer to be bumped for $800. She took my name said somebody else might bid lower. In the end I got the one bump and 5 hours later I’m headed home. Not bad earnings per hour. Don’t wait for the announcement.

  26. Frederic|

    For brand spanking new consumers, this can be especially true because they don’t have any prescription whatsoever.
    For example, if one can be a normal headache or migraine victim, then sit
    can be a popular foe – actually helping to trigger the beginning of a headache.

  27. G.Smith|

    So I am not sure if I am getting this correctly. Do I need to purchase a ticket for this? and is a volunteer the person who is willing to give up his seat in order for the airline to accommodate someone else on the waiting list? so when I am accepted as a volunteer, will the airline refund me the full ticket price + the voucher?

  28. E. Josephine|

    I just got bumped from delta at JFK- $1300, a flight 5 hrs later from LGA, and I’m a happy flyer. In all, 5 of us volunteered, and even though the others volunteered at lower prices, because I arrived at the gate late and took the last spot everyone got my price, $1300. I chose American express gift card to redeem my voucher!

  29. Will|

    We were in Florida and they asked at the gate (flying back to Chicago on United) for people looking to volunteer for 700$ each (there was 3 of us) we went to the counter and she said we will let you know If we need three like 20 minutes later she says we are able to and gives us each a voucher but then came the surprise she said that we where booked to go through Houston then Chicago first class on a flight two days from are original departure. The only bad thing was the first flight was at 5:00 am that morning when we wake up we see a text that says our Houston to Chicago flight is cancelled and we ended up standing by for a non stop to Chicago from Orlando instead of flying to Houston than standing by there. We got on but in the last row I am still mad at United to this day.

  30. Manny Kaline|

    how can I get vouchers, cash or flight, whatever it is, I am a frequent flyer and I need to buy vouchers..
    Please Suggest
    Thanks

  31. Amy|

    Just volunteered for a bump on SW airlines in PHX on MLK day this year. Last flight of the day so we had to take the first flight out, but we got a hotel voucher, as well as $400 travel voucher each. Not too bad as our original tickets only cost $200 round trip. I wanted to mention that we had checked luggage, and they didn’t blink an eye. They just told us it would be waiting for us in Portland. They did NOT pull it off the plane. I don’t think they have to for security, because no one knows when or who will get bumped. (except for clever people like you who deliberately choose flights with high bump potential. :)

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Good to know

  32. Joey|

    Headed to Hawaii soon from San Antonio via Seattle. I think I am more excited about possibly being bumped!! I have always been the first to jump up and volunteer. Hoping my backpack and I get another win on this trip!!

  33. Anonymous|

    Which are the airlines that only offer flight vouchers?

  34. Johnbuoy|

    .I really enjoy your articles. Just curious about one comment in the article about getting bumped on a flight. Do you have a list of which airlines only offer flight vouchers not cash vouchers?

  35. alvin vopata|

    An agent told me one of the best times to get bumped is Mother’s Day weekend. What are a half dozen other good times? Thanks.

  36. Brian|

    I used to have a job that required travel almost 100% of the time. I had so many free tickets worth of “miles”. 15 years ago, it used to be easier to get bumped into first class, and my status often got me there. I also allowed myself to be bumped a number of times since I usually flew Sun, Mon, and Fri. I found the airlines to be a bit cheap offering a $250 or $300 voucher…One time I got lucky and got a $750 voucher. I used that voucher for a free flight to Germany, and another flight to Vermont for my New England road trip. Now I don’t take the bumps as much because I don’t think they are offering enough money and I’m usually tired and wanting to go home, and I’m older with a family. But it was fun to do in my early 20’s.

  37. jan m|

    can i choose to be bumped and still ask for cash vouchers when the air ticket was purchased with air miles from southwest airlines?

  38. John A|

    I volunteered to be bumped on a Delta Flight once half way through my journey. They were supposed to give me a free rt voucher, said they would mail it.
    I never got it. So never doing that deal again.

  39. HL Rodgers|

    I book early flights and take the bump as often as possible, so far in 2017 I’m at $5k for the year. I use the vouchers to take my kids on weekend trips to places we would otherwise not be able to go together. I love being the dad that their friends envy and my expense is usually a matter of 2-3 hours in an airport.

    1. Johnny Jet|

      That’s awesome!

  40. Dagmar|

    the american hustling voucher nonsense filled with red tape, rules, restrictions, black outs, black heads, etc….4h+ layovers with no lounge access, cheap vouchers (500$ or less)–no way. say no to american hustling and corporate fascism.

  41. Leslie|

    We got oferred a $700 voucher to take the next flight with AA – the catch was that it was 9.5 hours later, so I declined but kinda of regretting it…

    Do the vouchers with AA have restrictions, blackout dates? and do you think that was a good deal? they had plenty of other volunteers….

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Hi Leslie,

      They usually are cash vouchers towards AA flights with no blackout dates so it’s a good deal.

  42. Mimi|

    Hi! I’ve searched a lot for this but haven’t found any good answers, do you know if certain airports are more likely to be overbooked? I fly out of Missoula (MSO) frequently either through United or Delta and i can’t remember a time that one, if not both airlines were overbooked and asking for volunteers. At this point, it seems a guarantee that they will overbook. I haven’t been to an airport that so frequently overbooked flights but I’m curious if there are more out there.
    Another question is how can you tell when booking a flight how likely it is that it is overbooked? Should I mostly be relying on the seat maps?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      If you want to get bumped book during a busy period like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Or fly a small regional jet out of Denver in the summer when it’s really hot.

  43. Mark|

    I have volunteered many times. One time on an Atlanta to Orlando flight I got bumped and was offered $400 because they would have to send us to another airport and bus us. After the flight left I asked the agent if she could book me to Daytona as that flight had availability and left sooner. She did. That saved me a car rental because Daytona was my destination anyway and I got there the same time I would have driven from Orlando.

    Richmond Va to Atlanta to LA to Kona (on Delta). LA to Kona was oversold. She offered a couple hundred dollars and would put me on the next flight in a couple hours. I laughed to myself because I know things, like there is only 1 flight from LA to Kona per day and I would miss that. She ended up giving me $500 and had me stay in Atlanta. That was fine. I called my friends (I used to live there) andf they met me at the motel for drinks and reminiscing. My next flight from Kona to that area cost $570 r/t and the voucher paid all but $70 of it.

    Recently a mother here in Kona finally agreed and got bumped from an (I think American) flight. Seems everyone had to get back to work on the mainland and nobody was taking the offer. She *finally* agreed and got $5,000! She is sending her daughter and the boyfriend overseas on that!

    Many years ago 4 of us were going Atlanta to LA to Honolulu. LA was a refueling stop so I got off and went to the agent. “You can give me 4 tickets? My newest friends!” Seems a Honolulu band was not in the finals and was coming back early. They offered $500 and a hotel room and flights the next day. Our tickets were only $400 r/t so a bonus but I had an idea. After the flight left I asked the agent, “My Mom over there i in her 80’s ad it is her only time she will go to Hawaii. Is it possible to send her tomorrow in Business or…”. The agent said that she already upgraded us to First on the LA to Honolulu flight but if we wanted she would upgrade us all the way back home instead of the $400. My Mom wanted the money but we told her she would be in the back of the plane with us up front! She agreed and it was the best gift I could have given her. $350 for a r/t ticket, a free hotel stay and an upgarde on 3 of the 4 legs of the trip. Oh yeah, and we got FF miles :-)

  44. Anonymous|

    Great article
    I was offered a $500 bump yesterday Detroit to Orlando
    Didn’t know it was and was concerned I would have a ride
    24 hour van.. I didn’t know
    Great regret

  45. Larry|

    I was living in Tampa at the time and flew home to Philly for the turkey holiday. My flight back to Tampa was the Sunday morning (10:05am) after Thanksgiving and they were looking for volunteers, so I decided to take the $400 voucher & 1st-class seat on the next flight. Well, next flight came & once again, they were looking for volunteers, same deal, so I took it again. Next flight time came & yep, you guessed it, they were looking for volunteers. At this point I didn’t mind because I had spent the day in the bars watching football, so I was enjoying racking up the vouchers.

    Anyway, finally time for the last flight of the night & guess what…they needed volunteers. They gave me another voucher, put me up in a hotel, gave me breakfast & a 1st-class seat on the 1st flight in the morning. Ended up with 4 RT vouchers…not too shabby for watching football all day.

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Lucky you! What year was it?

  46. Joey s. Metzner|

    Flying from Zurich to Atlanta.$1000 and overnight and food voucher.Offered again the next day .

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