# best deal getting bumped



## HtownRose (Aug 17, 2012)

I'd be open to being bumped, for the right price, off my next flight (United).  Any tips on getting the best deal?

Most recent flight, which I was not willing to get bumped off of, they offered $200 to start with & by the time they got the last taker needed it was up to airport hotel stay + meals + $300 cash + $300 transferable voucher.

The $200 offer was made when I was checking in at the kiosk to get my bag checked.  I was thinking if I see that tomorrow, I'll go to the gate agent & express interest & see if they sweeten the deal...anyone done this successfully?

Thanks!


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## radmoo (Aug 17, 2012)

Last summer we took a bump on United coming home from London.  They offered $1000/person, lunch and dinner vouchers, put us up at Heathrow Hilton and booked us for next day!  We jumped!  Same offer next day but hubby said we had to get home, STUPID!  Then we got bumped coming home to Boston from Traverse City, another $400 each and booked on another flight that actually got us home sooner than the originally scheduled one.  Believe me, we need the credits with one grandbab in DC and another in San Fran!


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## bogey21 (Aug 17, 2012)

In the old days (pre 9/11) when we didn't have all the security and checking of IDs I once traded my ticket with a Seat Assisnment to another passenger who didn't have a Seat Assignment for $1,000 cash.  Using the other guy's ticket I got bumped.  I was then given something like $200 by the airline, a meal voucher and a ticket on a flight about 4 hours later.

George


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 17, 2012)

radmoo said:


> Last summer we took a bump on United coming home from London.  They offered $1000/person, lunch and dinner vouchers, put us up at Heathrow Hilton and booked us for next day!  We jumped!  Same offer next day but hubby said we had to get home, STUPID!  Then we got bumped coming home to Boston from Traverse City, another $400 each and booked on another flight that actually got us home sooner than the originally scheduled one.  Believe me, we need the credits with one grandbab in DC and another in San Fran!



Wow --- you did good on that London bump. I would have just sent hubby home and kept making the BIG cash and free London vacation with food.


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## NJDave (Aug 17, 2012)

HtownRose said:


> I'd be open to being bumped, for the right price, off my next flight (United).  Any tips on getting the best deal?
> 
> Most recent flight, which I was not willing to get bumped off of, they offered $200 to start with & by the time they got the last taker needed it was up to airport hotel stay + meals + $300 cash + $300 transferable voucher.
> 
> ...



If the airline need seats they will keep increasing the offer until they get the seats needed.  My experience has been that everyone gets the same compensation regardless of what point the offer is accepted.  I once accepted an offer of $300 and the final amount was $600. I got the $600.  If you want to maximize the offer, the strategy is to delay accepting the offer at the risk that someone else accepts it at a lower amount and they don't need your seats.  I just accept the offer that I am comfortable with.


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## Jimster (Aug 17, 2012)

*bump*



NJDave said:


> If the airline need seats they will keep increasing the offer until they get the seats needed.  My experience has been that everyone gets the same compensation regardless of what point the offer is accepted.  I once accepted an offer of $300 and the final amount was $600. I got the $600.  If you want to maximize the offer, the strategy is to delay accepting the offer at the risk that someone else accepts it at a lower amount and they don't need your seats.  I just accept the offer that I am comfortable with.



It depends on the airline and the route.   With United it is generally$400 but as mentioned, they will do what they need to get the seats.  To get bumped you should not have checked bags and you should make yourself known to the gate attendant.  Always find out when they will fly you out.  I was offered $800 for my first class seat departing Hawaii but when i asked when i could get out, they said in about a week.  Since they would not pay for my hotel, it wasn't worth it.


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## Dori (Aug 18, 2012)

A few years ago, we took a bump in Atlanta with Air Tran. They were desparate for seats on our flight to Fort Lauderdale to get passengers to their cruise. We wound up with two round-trip vouchers each! They put us on  the next flight, which was about a three hour wait. 

Dori


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## MichaelColey (Aug 18, 2012)

On AA, I received a $500 voucher once and a free upgrade to First on the replacement flight.  The other awesome thing about that one was that I actually preferred the later flight.  I was going to have a long layover (that I planned to spend in the Admiral's Club) either way, and the AC was better there.

We learned several years ago that it's good to know in advance whether or not you'll volunteer for a bump or not, and to volunteer ASAP if they ask for volunteers.  On one flight, they were offering something like $300 plus a free flight for switching to a later flight.  By the time we talked about it and decided we could do it, they already had all the volunteers they needed.  We missed out on $1200 plus four tickets.

I talked to one guy once who had volunteered for (and received) bumps for four flights in a row, netting something like $2k.


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## jackio (Aug 18, 2012)

I always let the gate attendant know that we will be willing to take a bump but have NEVER been offered one.  I guess we fly on non-high-demand flights.


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## Renny30 (Aug 18, 2012)

jackio said:


> I always let the gate attendant know that we will be willing to take a bump but have NEVER been offered one.  I guess we fly on non-high-demand flights.



Me too. So disappointing.


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## scotlass (Aug 19, 2012)

In February 2011, we were flying AA from BOS to SXM on the first day of school vacation week.  Our flight was 5:30 am.  They asked for volunteers but we would have to go through Dallas to Miami.  Since we were on FF flights, which are never convenient, we had a 9 hour layover in Miami anyway so we said ok to the bump figuring we would either sit on a plane or sit in Miami airport.  Well, the Dallas flight was overbooked so we took another bump and we were able to get direct to Miami!  We found out that all flights to Miami from Saturday to Tuesday were overbooked! One of the AA agents said it was always like this for the Feb and April school vacation weeks.  Long and short of it, we took 5 bumps, stayed one night at the airport (paid by AA) and came away with $4200 in vouchers!  Lost one day of our vacation, but it was worth it.  Oh, and our bags?  We had checked them for the first flight.  They were waiting for us in SXM when we arrived the next day.  That was a miracle!

So, we decided that was such a good deal, we booked our SXM trip for Feb school vacation week in 2012 on the earliest flight on Saturday morning, hoping for the same result.  No such luck!  The closest we got was a possible bump from Miami to SXM but at the last minute they didn't need our seats.  We will try again next year!


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## Talent312 (Aug 19, 2012)

I was involuntarily bumped once, but it was only a short-haul on a regional carrier to Asheville, NC. They put us on a flight an hour later to a nearby airport (Tri-Cities in Tennessee), hired a van to drive us to Asheville, and gave us vouchers for a free R/T anywhere they flew.


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## HtownRose (Aug 19, 2012)

Thanks to all!  When I checked in at the kiosk there was a $100 offer & no other offers were announced, so I didn't bite.  Good to be home...already planning my next trip!


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## falmouth3 (Aug 19, 2012)

Once a gate agent in Manchester NH told me that some people book an early flight on the first day of winter vacation and take all the bumps they can get, staying at the airport all day.


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## Patri (Aug 19, 2012)

scotlass said:


> Long and short of it, we took 5 bumps, stayed one night at the airport (paid by AA) and came away with $4200 in vouchers!



That takes the cake!
For various reasons, we can never take bumps. We always have to get to our destination pronto. When we become empty nesters, that may change and we'll try for some of these adventures.


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## Carolinian (Aug 20, 2012)

My best offer was $800 from AA on a Raleigh to London flight, but unfortunately I had something at the office I had to get back for and that bump would have delayed me a day so I had to pass it up.

Once on US, I took a bump on a flight to somewhere in the Caribbean (I forget which island now) and got a voucher good for a free ticket RT to the Caribbean within a year and a first class upgrade to a flight two hours later.  That flight was also oversold, and I could have scored a second free trip voucher if I had wanted to wait another day, but passed on that one.


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## exyeh (Aug 20, 2012)

Does the voucher limit to book only the full price ticket? What kind of restriction those have?


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## radmoo (Aug 20, 2012)

Generally the vouchers are $$$ credit with the airlien.
United offers coupons that MUST be turned in at airport or ticket office - something of a pain, to be sure. Plus they are issued in $100 increments so if fare is $350, you can either pay difference or lose $50 worth of voucher since no refunds are issued for excess. 
Delta does it electronically so $$$ are issued to credit bank which can be used for online payment.  I believe JetBlue does same.

But no matter, there are no restrictions.  If the fare is higher than the credit, you just pay the difference.

In addition to our amazing Delta bump, I used $$$ from United bump to visit grandbaby in San Fran.  Fare was less if I changed in LA so that is what I booked.  Sure enough, arrived LAX and my connecting flight was oversold. Took the $400, was put up at hotel, given meal vouchers and flew out the next morning.  Going back to San Fran next month thanks to UAL>


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## spencersmama (Aug 20, 2012)

Delta has gotten particular about the credits they issue lately.  It used to be that you could use the credit for a different person or use multiple vouchers for one ticket.  You can't do either of these things now.  We have been issued credits in the past, some voluntarily, some involuntarily.  Not sure about the other airlines, but Delta has been making them increasingly difficult to use.  They are still nice to have though!


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## DebBrown (Aug 20, 2012)

My kids had a great bump experience last year.  They were scheduled on a late night flight from LAX - Guatemala City.  My son was flying into LAX on another airline and his flight was delayed.  It was clear he was going to miss the flight.  

I looked at OLCI and saw that they were soliciting volunteers.  I told the DIL who was at the airport to go to the gate agent and volunteer.  They were given $600 each, two nights in a hotel since they weren't leaving until midnight the next day, and food vouchers.  It turned out a whole lot better than us trying to reschedule!

These days I rarely try to get bumped.  I usually want to get to a vacation or home with the most expediency.  Now, I don't mind getting upgraded to first class.  

Deb


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## JudiZ (Aug 23, 2012)

*From the Other Side of The Bump*

About ten years ago, my friend and I were heading for Orlando on school vacation with our two kids out of Manchester, NH. Flight was full so USAirways limoed us to Boston and rerouted us through Charleston giving us four flight vouchers. We flew from Boston, got to Charleston and the plane was already boarded. We got to the gate and the attendant said we could board in "just a moment." Then, what to our wondering eyes should appear but four passengers deplaning who had given up their seats for US!!! Ack! They never asked us if we would have minded a bump at any point during this part of the journey and I never thought to offer. All I could think as I boarded the plane was that we could have/would have taken a bump in a heartbeat! Ah well, we made it to Orlando about five minutes after our original schedule anyway and got the four vouchers to boot.


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## scrapngen (Aug 23, 2012)

My husband and daughter got bumped on Alaska Air going to HI from Seattle. We usually book our tickets in sets of two to get better prices, so my other daughter and I went on as scheduled. They were flown first class to CA, put up in a nice Hyatt overnight and flown to HI the next morning, while my daughter and I got in late at night. So they really didn't lose any time in HI. Plus they got $400 each for future flights. 

That was a great deal, and had our tickets been together, we couldn't have taken it as they only needed two people to bump!


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## radmoo (Aug 23, 2012)

It wouldn't have made any difference if your tix had been together.  If they need 2 volunteers, they still could have taken 2 out of party of 4.  One year we were offered bump Chi/Bos. I had to get back to work but that was not case for retired hubby.  So I went, he stayed and we received airline voucher.

About 25 years ago, a group of 7 women were returning home from Montreal.  When we arrived at the airport, it was very clear that the flight was overbooked.  I walked over to the gate agent and asked if they were looking for volunteers.  He asked how many in the party to which I replied "there are 7 of us but we need to be put up for the night, dinner and breakfast vouchers and guaranteed 6AM departure next morning so we all could be at work by 9.  He promptly picked up the phone, called his supervisor and said "I have 7 live ones but it will cost you."    We got it all


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## Joan-OH (Aug 25, 2012)

I've never gotten a bump that I've been paid for.  Usually, some plane is broken, airport is closed to weather or just about anything can happen to make my flight not become airborne that would not result in any compensation.

Two years ago, on a Thursday Morning, I was in Akron taking an Airtran to Milwaukee for a wedding.  I had my 82 year old father with me so it would prove to be very difficult to take their deal.  They were looking for 2 people to bump and were giving 2 RT vouchers EACH to anywhere Airtran flies.  There was a couple there, who were flying to Vegas and were going camping from there.  The previous morning they took the bump to the later flight and also took the bump on the afternoon flight resulting is EIGHT round trip tickets anywhere Airtran flew and that included mexico and the caribbean.

Many times I have thought to book a cheap flight to MKE out of Akron on a Thursday Morning and just take the bump.

Joan-OH


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## travelguy (Aug 28, 2012)

I was on a short (1.5 hrs) Delta connecting flight yesterday out of DTW and the opening offer for bumps was a $500 voucher. Nobody budged on that offer.
It went up from there, not sure where it stopped.  That seemed like a high first offer out of their hub.


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 28, 2012)

Spring Break/ Easter and bad weather is a recipe for bumps.  As it the wednesday before thanksgiving and the especially the Sunday following Thanksgiving. 

Bumps otherwise are a result of equipment and/or weather cancellations that cause a cascade event.  Having more than 1 flight in a day between two city pairs gets cancelled then all hell breaks loose.


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