Article about $$ offered in USA to take the next flight

[RooFlyer]

Author thinks US$200 isn't enough incentive, and leads to unpleasant selection consequences (and I agree):

Globe and Mail story here

When the offer was raised to $300, two passengers left, Lindblad said. Crew members then announced that they would have to take four people off the plane, and that it would be done based on who had paid the lowest fares. “The two Porter staff started identifying people like out of a lineup, ‘You, you, you, and you,’ and marched these people off. Everyone was kind of in shock,” Lindblad recalled. “Porter has this nice reputation and they were behaving like this big airline.”

 

[snabbu]

At $700 to give up my seat if sitting in Y and not in a hurry I'd certainly be tempted.

 

[Deleted member]

I would need an op up + cash.

 

[exceladdict]

I received a $200 credit in exchange for an overnight delay due to mechanical failure (but only after complaining) - you'd want it to be sweeter for a voluntary delay, absolutely op up plus cash rather than credit.

 

[get me outta here]

And, a J seat and reasonable htl and food, if delay overnight. $700 would certainly do it for me as I usually don't make appointments for the day or 3 after I get home, as long as my domestic conn were OK too. I'd even accept all that and $500.

I received a $200 credit in exchange for an overnight delay due to mechanical failure (but only after complaining) - you'd want it to be sweeter for a voluntary delay, absolutely op up plus cash rather than credit.

 

[dajop]

It depends. Really it does. We don't know enough facts here to make judgement on what is reasonable or not.

If it was a 1.5 hour flight (such as the Porter Airlines flight) and there's another flight in an hour or two, and I didn't have burning commitments then I'd certainly consider it for $300.

And BTW, holding out for an upgrade to J on Porter won't work. They fly single cabin Q400's.

 

[serfty]

Often hear such at gates in the USA.

My schedules have always been such that I could not contemplate taking any offer.

Most recently was as I posted for a 90 minute flight MCI-MSP on Delta:

About to depart Kansas City airport.
...
Not a busy airport and a flight to New York was canceled - to accommodate pax some flights were overbooked more than normal. Waiting near the podium I overheard that my flight was oversold by 13 - 10 minutes before boarding they offered $400 DL vouchers for volunteers who would travel later - there appeared to be no takers. As boarding was about to commence they upped the offer to $1300 - a queue rapidly formed.

 

[JohnK]

The offers of compensation in the USA for oversold flights appear to be quite good.

Doesn't happen so much in Australia but when it does offers appear to be poor.

 

[Denali]

FT has a Delta thread about compensation and bumped flights, a lot of people getting $500-$800+ plus hotel plus bumped to J (or first as the US calls it) for the next flight.

We were in Memphis and they were offering $800 by the time we were boarding. Crazy but if you can be that flexible, you can walk away with a nice pocketful.