+1 on both of those sentiments!

I have only taken up the offer twice. Morning flight out of YVR to Vegas. There was another Vegas flight two-three hours later so no big deal. (I am in Vegas for business a few times a year, so spending time there is not a priority).

Gate agent asks for volunteers. I volunteered. She said thanks and if required at the end of boarding we will give you a voucher (I think it was $700 or something like that, move you to the afternoon flight and upgrade you to front cabin, also a plus for a Rouge flight). Then asked me to board last, They did need me and she printed out a bunch of voucher. A meal voucher. A $700 (or whatever it was voucher), and boarding passes for the next flight. They were only going to do this if at the end of the boarding process there still was did not have sufficient seats.

I did it one other time, also out of Vancouver, was originally booked connecting through Calgary or Edmonton to some point east of there. Likely Saskatoon or Winnipeg. I just don't remember. First leg was over booked, however I knew there was a non-stop that I would rather be on. Went up, the gate agent checked availability on the direct flight, said I would be arriving earlier, if it was ok to pass on the compensation, she would move me over on the spot instead of waiting to the end of boarding process and playing the lottery. In that case no additional compensation other that spending less time in the flying and no change fee.

The one time I did it the voucher, was valid for a year and could be applied against future travel (however you had to book by calling in). There was no cheque. Perhaps its changes or sometimes they offer it as a cheque.

Often, one must explicitly request a cheque in order to receive it. This has been noted upthread. I have always explicitly requested a cheque when VDBing. Otherwise, it will be some form of credit for future travel (eMCO).

When I've done it, the GA always gives me a receipt like that.

7 days later there's an email telling me the cheque is in the mail.

A week or two later, it arrives.

So it sounds like something strange and atypical occurred here.

Same here.

Each and every time it has been a GA.

Does anyone know if AC denied boarding vouchers valid for travel on UA or codeshare partners? Might consider pulling a United, and volunteering to be denied boarding if this is the case!

-James

I have never had to even remotely fight for cash.

The first time, I said "cash, right?" and they said, "yes, we can do that".

The second time, they proactively offered the cash option.

I feel the same way as you about verbal promises despite what the experts in the CBC article discuss.
Which reminds me I need to update this thread wiki with more information regarding the process and documents received.

I should bring up my first VDB incident.

Back in my days of "not enough AQM", I booked SFO-YVR-YEG-YYC. In YVR, they paged for volunteers. The agent already had my name as a candidate because of the circuitous routing and lack of checked bags. I asked what the compensation would be, and if I could keep my upgrade. She said she wasn't sure on the amount, but it would be something, and yes, I'd stay in J.

500 AQM weren't worth much to me, so even $50 would have sufficed, and I accepted. She asked me to go to CS to get the voucher.

At CS, I was handed a new BP for YVR-YYC. I asked about the compensation. "There isn't any because you're getting in earlier." "I was told there would be compensation." "There isn't." "Fine, put me back on the flight."

They did. They had to downgrade an E35K who'd been upgraded into my seat, but I'm certainly not going to let them push me around.

But had I walked slower, or stopped to grab some food, the flight might have been gone already, and then I would have been stuck with fewer AQM and no cash.

I'm wondering if, perhaps similar to the pax in the recent CBC article, a supposed "VDB" offered for the pax to get onto an earlier flight is actually processed as a free SDC but AC doesn't tell you that?
Furthermore, does the true definition of a DB include being "bumped" off your original flight and onto an earlier flight? I'm not aware of an IDB situation where a pax was "bumped" off their original flight and subsequently placed on an earlier flight ("You are already here at the airport, so go on the earlier flight, even if you had planned to do some shopping in the concourse first - sorry!"). How early can an IDB occur... can you get IDB'd even before you check in?

I had this happen. AA moved me from a one connection flight YYZ-LGA-CMH to a AC direct flight YYZ-CMH. The AA flight leaving YYZ was oversold and likely to be late so I 'might' have missed my connection. They put me on a AC direct at my request and also offered my $500 which I accepted even though the AC flight would get me into CMH almost 3 hrs earlier.
I would not trust a GA verbal commitment unless they actually printed out the terms (coupon/voucher) of the VDB/IDB or at least a print out of the comments stating what was offered. Otherwise you end up like this passenger.

At that point, it's not verbal. They can't print that voucher without taking all your details down and initiating the process.

Exactly. Why people should take out their phones and record the conversations.