I had three business class award tickets booked LGA-DTW-AMS back in June. The day before departure, a Delta agent called and asked if I'd consider flying JFK-AMS direct since the DTW-AMS flight—scheduled to be a 747—had been downsized to a 777 (!) and the flight was oversold by 100+ seats. Unprompted, she offered $1,500 in Delta vouchers for my trouble.

It was tough to trade 777 flat beds for 767 recliners, but the $1,500 compensation convinced me to accept their offer.