For those of us who don't know flight numbers, that's YEG-YVR.

So yeah, I'd have jumped too, unless I really needed to be somewhere. Though I'd also probably be going to SFO and would have asked for YEG-YYZ-SFO. Or at least I would have under the old status program. Maybe I wouldn't be as excited any more. I wonder if they've considered that...

$1200 for YYZ-LGA
 

We walked up to the gate as the agents were asking for 2 volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for $1200 apiece. We bit and stood off to the side.

In the end, only one was needed as one passenger either no-showed or missed their connection. I flew as I was op-upped into J while my friend got the $1200 and $30 in meal vouchers.

In hindsight, perhaps I should have stayed behind as my status would have enabled me to catch an earlier flight instead of my friend having to take a late PM flight (assuming space was available, of course).

Everything to LGA is full today. We also looked at EWR and JFK, but no dice. The agents also did not want to book him onto a UA flight. Oh well, we will each get $600 towards a future trip, so everything worked out okay, aside from major boredom waiting for the confirmed flight.

The gate agents also mentioned one can only get 1 VDB a day? I was thinking of asking my friend to volunteer again, but he mentioned that little tidbit.

There's a lot of negotiation that can be done in these scenarios, and "I'll give up my seat if you put him in it" seems pretty damn reasonable.

When I've been alone, I've seen them do the "correct" thing (upgrade next on the list, then give the pax without a seat the newly-vacated Y seat), and the expedient thing (give the pax without a seat my J seat).

I've never actually considered this before (I've done two of these "1 seat" VDBs while flying with the Bovine, and certainly for the last one, he had at best UA*S).

In both cases I was the one to stay behind (because I generally have more connections to people and things to do at AC hubs), and in one case, space opened on an earlier flight, and it was a quick call to the concierge to get moved to it (it avoided an overnight, so even if self-serve SDC worked in general, it wouldn't have for this).

So I'll keep that in mind for next time, thanks.

Again, there's a lot of negotiation possible. "I'll do it if you put me on the UA flight" is a very reasonable request. Heck, I think "AA flight" would also be pretty reasonable, but *A is always going to be easier than other airlines.

I've never heard that, nor does it make sense in the context of "VDB is better than IDB".

I also know some SEs who have taken multiple VDBs on the same route in the same day, from the same agent.

My friend has left YYZ - he managed to get future travel credit without forfeiting tomorrow's flight.

Thanks for your insight. I will be more firm in the future, but in this case, I had to board as the flight was all but closed and the missing passenger did not show. All I can go on is from whatever information he's shared me throughout the day.

I've had 2 VDBs in a day, also going to NYC, though it was quite a while ago.

As canadiancow mentioned, there can also be flexibility. I was going to somewhere in Asia (KIX?) in J and there was no AC flight the next day. I quickly looked and found a connection in J on UA, so they put me on that the same day to LAX, overnight hotel in LAX and then J the next morning to Asia.

I was probably 50k for that, so it didn't need a concierge or high status. The agent wasn't necessarily going to look for it, but took what I presented. Knowing the options was definitely helpful.

YVR - LAS $800

Got an email yesterday with the following: If your travel plans are flexible and you're willing to volunteer to take a later flight, we're offering you an Air Canada Electronic Travel Voucher* worth CA$800 per passenger.
Here's how it works:

1. Select a back-up itinerary at the link below
2. Head to the airport for your original flight
3. If we need volunteers to change flights, you'll receive your new itinerary and your Air Canada Electronic Travel Voucher at your original flight's gate
4. If your flight doesn't change, you'll board your original flight and travel as planned

Both of the options were for the following day but they want me to:

- go to the airport on the original day of travel, check my bag, clear US Customs, go to the gate and wait to see if they are, in fact, truly oversold

- if they are not truly oversold, then I'm supposed to travel with no compensation

- if they are truly oversold then I guess I get to go back through Canadian Customs, figure out how to get my bag back and then go home to come back the next day

UH, that's a BIG no-thanks!!

I received an early morning "u up" text this morning from my cousin, followed by a phone call.

"Scott, my flight to PVR needs 3 volunteers and they're offering $800 to go through NYC and get there tomorrow? Should I take it or wait?"
"Cash or credit?"
"Credit"

I then explained my "love" of EMDs.

That being said, it went to $1200, then $2000, and she jumped on it.

Of course it's a basic economy ticket, and they actually rebooked her in N on UA for IAH-PVR, so she's still basic all the way. But she's definitely happy.

Now to figure out how to get her into a lounge for 6 hours...

So do I hold the record for $2k for a 3hr VDB delay for a 1.5hr YYZ-NYC flight :-)

Mrs. SearsTower was coming out to YVR from YYC to meet me for a weekend while I was there for work a couple of weeks ago. She was flying on an Aeroplan ticket. She took $2000 to take a flight a few hours later on a turquoise plane. She was pretty happy since it was raining pretty hard in YVR and she had planned to walk around downtown that morning so it was going to be a bust anyway.

YUL-YYZ
Feb 27, 2026

There are a few cancelations and most flights today are severely overbooked.

My flight was looking for 5 volunteers… $2000 EMD to fly 6 hours later.

Was there an option to take cash?

I'm still not through my EMD from 2023, and it's not for lack of spending money on AC.

The GA was pretty insistent on EMD… I didn’t try my luck with cash. When I got to the gate pre-boarding, they started at $2000… were real desperate

Sounds similar to my cousin's from a few posts up. She had me on speakerphone, and I definitely heard her ask if she could get cash a few times.

They also raised the offer a few times. I find it a little hard to believe they'd rather give out a $2000 EMD than $800 cash, but they kept raising the amount without ever offering cash.

It may be here, but I can't find it. If AC asks for VDB at the gate and several people volunteer, do they have a priority similar to eups? ie. would SE get it over 75k?

Got $1200 for VDB recently from SIN-YVR-YYZ.

I asked proactively when checking in.

Reroute was SIN-HND-YYZ (I asked for SIN-DEL-YYZ or via NRT, but they said the system only offered HND).