Originally Posted by
joepercussion1
I am pretty sure that DOT regulations require that they try to find volunteers. If they indeed did not, this is prime for a DOT complaint, although since you managed to get on the flight, I doubt AA will do anything except thank you for bringing it to their attention.
DOT does require that volunteers be solicited, but doesn't mandate the price that must be offered. An airline could half-heartedly offer $1 and then claim that they had tried. Regardless, they're required to follow their own published rules (in the CoC) about the priority ordering they use.
There are reports that some airlines don't even try to get volunteers for international flights.