There’s too many questions that appear on a weekly basis regarding the issue of volunteering/getting bumped, so I decided to create an all-in-one solution to refer to. Please feel free to make comments, corrections and/or suggestions .

What does ‘volunteering your seat’ and ‘being bumped’ mean?
NW often oversells its flights (books more passengers then there are seats). If more passengers show up then there is seats, NW will seek ‘volunteers.’ A volunteer is a person with flexible travel plans who is willing to give up his/her seat on a particular flight in exchange for a seat on a later flight plus compensation. If you’ve volunteered and your seat is needed, then you’ve been ‘bumped.’

Background
Like most airlines, NWA uses a series of data -- both historical & forward-looking -- to determine how many seats to sell on each aircraft operating each flight within its entire network. The information utilized is highly complex and takes an array of factors - such as historical no-shows & historical misconnects - into consideration. This data is propriety and highly-sensitive and thus not available to the general public. The end result is that every flight will have a different number of seats available for sale -- in fact, it’s entirely feasible for the same flight under the same conditions (same city pairs, departure time and scheduled equipment) to have a different number of seats available for sale on different days of the week! This whole process is part of NW’s yield management.

Why does NW oversell its flights?
NW oversells flights for a variety of reasons. For example, flights will almost always have no-shows – and many of the no-shows are traveling on expensive, refundable tickets. Thus, NW wants to protect its revenue stream. In addition, the airline may have an opportunity to sell pricy “walk-up” tickets in the day(s) of/before a full flight’s departure. If more persons show up for a flight then there are seats, NW can usually “buy back” one or more seats at a modest price - usually in the form of transportation credit vouchers (TCV) that cost NW very little -- and many are never redeemed!

How can I find out if my flight is oversold?
If you call NWA, they are obligated to tell you whether your flight is oversold or not. They usually won’t, however, tell you by how much (although sometimes a friendly, chatty agent will). ITN.net is excellent resource. Once you’ve entered your flights’ data, take a look at the fare buck results. For domestic flights, the lower the P & Y buckets, the greater the chance of your flight(s) being sold out. For international flights, compare the J & Y buckets. Sometimes, the whole flight will be shown as sold out (in other words, NW is no longer selling seats). In this case, your flight is probably oversold although there is no guarantee.

What factors affect a flight’s oversell situation?
There are numerous factors that affect a flight’s oversell situation including tickets sold, delays, misconnections, flight cancellations, changes in equipment, reaccommodation of passengers from other airlines, etc.

If I volunteer my seat, what type of compensation will I receive?
The gate agent will make the compensation offer clear. For domestic flights, you will likely receive either
- a maximum $300 TCV: Gate agents are suppose to auction TCVs, starting as low as $50 and gradually increasing the offer to a current maximum of $300. However, most gate agents are lazy and will simply offer $300. TCVs can be applied toward any ticket in which each flight carries an NW and/or KL code. They’re treated like cash, although if you apply one toward a refundable ticket, you will not receive cash back (the TCV amount is clearly marked on the ticket). Even though TCVs say they’re non-transferable, one can combine one or more toward one ticket or purchase a ticket with one in somebody else’s name (usually the person whose name the TCV is issued in does not need to be present). Any residual value is issued in the form of an MCO (miscellaneous charge order) coupon. You will earn miles from tickets purchased with TCVs. TCVs may not be used toward the purchase of a WorldClub membership.
- a free roundtrip ticket good anywhere NW flies within the United States, excluding Hawaii: Be warned that availability for the roundtrip ticket comes from the same bucket as availability for award seats, although a Saturday night stay is not required. These tickets do not earn mileage.
and/or
- reaccommodation onto the next available flight: you will generally be reaccommodated onto the next available NW flight – sometimes several hours (and flights) after your scheduled one, sometimes the next day. Should you be asked to overnight, you can usually pick any available flight the next day should you be interested in sightseeing or getting a few extra hours of sleep. Very rarely you will be reaccommodated onto other airlines.
- meal coupons: usually $4 for breakfast, $6 for lunch and $10 for dinner; meal coupons are not always offered but are almost always included with overnight stays.
- hotel accommodations (including transfers) if your ‘bump’ requires an overnight stay: Sometimes you luggage will be held and you will be able to retrieve it should you need it, other times it will be sent to your destination. Do not expect to be able to retrieve your luggage! Should you require a toiletry kit, they’re available free of charge at most airport’s baggage consumer service counters.
- premium cabin upgrades: sometimes offered as a standalone offer (with meal coupons), sometimes offered with a TCV/free ticket (and possibly with meal coupons an/or an overnight stay).
For international flights, it’s the same ordeal except only a TCV of higher dollar amount will usually be offered. And sometimes only a premium cabin upgrade will be offered.

Most persons prefer the TCV over the free ticket, although the latter may often be of more value. Decide which item you want – if the gate agent is only offering one, it doesn’t hurt to ask if the other’s available as well.

Before volunteering your name, make sure the complete terms of the offer are available to you. For example, if you volunteer your seat on a flight departing Los Angeles in the mid-afternoon to Detroit, you may be asked to hang around the airport for up to ten hours for a redeye flight (in this scenario, you’ll undoubtedly receive meal vouchers). If this is unacceptable to you, let the gate agent know before you volunteer in order for him/her to see if other persons would be willing to accept that offer. Do not assume you’ll be receiving anything more than what you’re being told! In the past NW has offered cash, vouchers, and/or reimbursement of things like taxicab fares to downtown areas, restaurant tabs, ‘necessities’ such as drugs / contact lens cleaners / etc. - the days of these perks are gone.

I’m interested in volunteering my seat. How do I do so?
If you are interested in volunteering your seat, you will need to notify the gate agent handing the flight you’re seeking to give up your seat. Sometimes NWA.com check-in and the kiosks at the airport will ask you if you’d like your name added to the list, but then they’ll refer you to the gate agent. A ticketing agent or gate agent handling any other flight but the one you’d like to give up your seat will NOT be able to help you. Since there are various factors (listed above) that affect a flight’s oversell situation, NW will wait until the check-in/boarding process has been completed to determine whether they need volunteers or not. It is not wise to call NW the day(s) before your flight, notify them that ITN.net shows your flight as oversold and ask to volunteer your seat – you may get stuck in traffic traveling to the airport and be a no-show yourself or your flight’s scheduled A320 may morph into a B757, etc. and NW knows this so your request will be denied.

Can I negotiate the offer?
In general, no. If your flight appears to be oversold and you’d rather travel on an earlier or later destination – or another local airport, such as SNA as opposed to LAX – it doesn’t hurt to ask by calling NW before your flight’s scheduled to depart. But don’t expect to receive additional compensation. If NW appears to be struggling to lure volunteers, it may not hurt to suggest alternate travel arrangements then what they’re offering (for example, if you’re headed to LAX, you may ask for a flight to SNA + motor coach fare to LAX in addition to the TCV and/or free ticket). Remember that volunteers require flexible travel plans and should you not meet that criterion, you should not be volunteering to begin with. Also remember that NW’s looking to offer the lowest compensation possible. If NW’s looking for volunteers on a DTW-NRT flight in exchange for a premium cabin upgrade on the same flight the next day and a small voucher, but you can’t overnight, don’t expect to plead to be reaccomodated onto Singapore Airlines that same day – many times, NW would rather involuntary ‘bump.’

What can I do to maximize my chances of being ‘bumped?’
- Book late flights on heavily traveled days, such as Fridays, Sundays and various holidays.
- Notify the gate agent as soon as possible.
- Bring only a carryon.

Which routes can I fly to maximize my chances of being ‘bumped?’
All flights that routinely depart full have an equal chance of being oversold and needing volunteers. While this may not be true with other airlines, it is true of NW.

Best of Luck!