JetAirways77W

Got a $95 offer to change 11/19 SFO-BOS to 11/21 or 11/22 (which I can't do as my timeline is fairly fixed), ironically I would have saved $120 by cancelling and rebooking on 11/21 or $149 for 11/22. Super useless offer.

Boraxo

AS is offering us a whopping $45 to switch our outbound flight to Mexico for the holidays. Depending on the date of purchase these flights retailed for $600-900 one-way.

As Johnny Mac would say "you cannot be serious!" Nobody is going to blow up their vacation to switch to another flight and spread their family around in empty middle seats.

If AS is over-booked they need to start at $500 + preferred seating. Or maybe vouchers for a free flight. $45 ain't gonna cut it.

jrl767

if I had to guess, these offers appear to be proactive attempts to alleviate potential overbooking situations rather than cancellations

Waitlisted

These seem so silly though. A few weeks ago when leaving Maui I got one offering us each a whopping $25 to fly the next day. I’m sure Alaska airlines knows it costs half a monthly mortgage payment for a last minute overnight in a hotel + an additional car rental day. I’ve had a couple since, but never over $75. Pre-Covid and after the FAA rule changes I cashed in on a few that were much higher with $1,350 and $1,750 each of us but these were at the gate and NOT proactive.

deal

Yep, but more of a rebalancing based on the ticket holder's travel urgency rather than overbooking prevention. Though maybe that's just two ways to describe the same thing.

WestSideBilly

One of the flights where I got one of these borderline offensive offers ended up with 15+ empty seats, including some empty EC seats. The rest have all ended up with a few empties in the back.

It might be that people are taking these offers to move to favorable (for them) flights, but so far Alaska is batting 1.000 with offering me comically bad changes. The latest was $25 to change a SEA-FLL flight (where I have EC seats booked) to either a day earlier (extra $200 hotel) or take a redeye where the only open seats are row 15. There are at least 4 open seats on all 3 of these particular flights (and the one they're offering me out of is not the most booked). The whole thing is strange and, as mentioned, borderline offensive in terms of the incentive being offered to have a worse travel experience.

nsx

A week ago, Southwest phoned me and gave me $400 to switch to any different flight I wanted: Advance request VDB

Xrayman

yeah, these emails go directly to delete unless at least $100. It’s actually funny that the flights they often offer me for $25 were up to $100 lower in cost when I booked the flight.

econ

Shame you couldn't have moved to the new dates. You could have taken them up on the $95 credit, then cancel and rebook if there was still a price difference.

JetAirways77W

In retrospect, the game I should have played was book a second SFO-BOS reservation (which was going at the same price as what I booked it for), then moved and cancelled the original reservation for $95 credit.

In other news, the price on my existing reservation dropped $50, so that was an easy cancel/rebook to save money.

Xrayman

im note sure you get the credit if canceled before receiving credit.

JetAirways77W

$95 offer expired, so I couldn't take that - this was just a separate cancel/rebook.

sjbsf

My boyfriend just got offered a paltry $25 to switch a 12/6/2022 flight from PVR to SEA. Ironically, I'm on the same flight, different PNR, and did not get the offer. He's on a mileage ticket, I'm on a cash ticket.

Calculon

Got offered $75 today to switch (on my return) to a flight three days later. Won't be taking that one.

Eastbay1K

Received an offer this morning to receive $55 to change an LAX/SFO next week for a day or two days later - and AS is still selling "only 3 left" for $400 each on the same flight.