Originally Posted by SEA_Tigger
Not necessarily. First off, can the person afford the ticket? If they can't, it doesn't matter what they charge for it.
Second, they might be able to buy a First or Business Class ticket. Even if the airline shows no availability, don't think for a moment they won't sell the ticket (fares can be anywhere from four to five figures) and then cancel an upgrade, offering the person they cancelled anywhere from nothing (they just return the upgrade cert) to some minor form of compensation (an additional upgrade cert of a voucher for future travel).
And finally, if they're willing to pay the maximum rate, the airline will sell them the ticket, I am sure, even if they have to involuntarily deny someone boarding, as the compensation will be less then the revenue derived from the ticket, I am sure.
Are you certain of this, or speculating? I've never been in the situation, so I've never really tried pressing the issue. But, I've certainly been told that "no seat are available on that flight, can I check another flight for you?" That was always with a phone agent though - never at the airport where they may have some more flexibility.
Of course, I never really want to have this conversation either:
DevilBucsFlyer: Dang! Completely sold out? Is there any way you can get me on that flight?
Gate Agent: Hmmmm... How bad you want it? I'll give you a seat for $38,500. No? How much you willing to pay?
But........ now that I think about it, your statement brings up an interesting observation. On the reality show "The Amazing Race" there have certainly been situations where the teams would have paid almost anything to get on a "sold out" flight. I'm sure the game has certain rules about bribing gate agents and the like, but I've never seen them try to negotiate their way on to a plane by paying over market price for a ticket.