I got a $200 voucher from the airline and a couple of nicely located NFL tickets from the passenger who took my place when I got bumped last November.

I was flying solo from STL to BWI aboard a TWA -- er, AA -- flight on Monday of what was a "bye week" for the Washington Redskins.

They needed one volunteer, and it turned out the extra person without a seat assignment was a player for the Redskins who had taken advantage of the time off to make a trip to Missouri. My agreeing to wait for a later flight meant he could get aboard; so he came over, got my name and address, and sent me a pair of 40-yard-line tickets to a Redskins game.