Last edit by: Prospero
AA Bump Rates: Volunteer Compensation / Voluntary Denied Boarding
Passengers involuntarily denied boarding on AA are denied usually after calls for volunteers to accept vouchers (and occasionally variable other benefits), usually beginning at $200 or $300 but possibly going significantly higher, depending on passenger response. See more below, including AA Conditions of Carriage.
See IDB / Involuntarily Denied Boarding on AA & Compensation (master thread) for INVOLUNTARILY denied boarding.
Link to US Dept. of Transportation Aviation Consumer Protection Division's "Fly-Rights - A Consumer Guide to Air Travel" section on Overbooking
"IDB" (involuntarily denied boarding) compensation is governed in the USA by "14 CFR 250.5 - Amount of denied boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily".
Link to CFR §250.5; as well:
14 CFR § 250.2b Carriers to request volunteers for denied boarding.
(a) In the event of an oversold flight, every carrier shall request volunteers for denied boarding before using any other boarding priority. A “volunteer” is a person who responds to the carrier's request for volunteers and who willingly accepts the carriers' offer of compensation, in any amount, in exchange for relinquishing the confirmed reserved space. Any other passenger denied boarding is considered for purposes of this part to have been denied boarding involuntarily, even if that passenger accepts the denied boarding compensation.
(b) Every carrier shall advise each passenger solicited to volunteer for denied boarding, no later than the time the carrier solicits that passenger to volunteer, whether he or she is in danger of being involuntarily denied boarding and, if so, the compensation the carrier is obligated to pay if the passenger is involuntarily denied boarding. If an insufficient number of volunteers come forward, the carrier may deny boarding to other passengers in accordance with its boarding priority rules.
14 CFR § 250.9 Written explanation of denied boarding compensation and boarding priorities, and verbal notification of denied boarding compensation.
(a) Every carrier shall furnish passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily from flights on which they hold confirmed reserved space immediately after the denied boarding occurs, a written statement explaining the terms, conditions, and limitations of denied boarding compensation, and describing the carriers' boarding priority rules and criteria. The carrier shall also furnish the statement to any person upon request at all airport ticket selling positions which are in the charge of a person employed exclusively by the carrier, or by it jointly with another person or persons, and at all boarding locations being used by the carrier.
Link to AA Conditions of Carriage, "Oversales"
In the European Union, EC261/2004 governs denied boarding compensation.
Link to EC261 / EC 261/2004 complaints and AA (master thread)
On American Airlines, you are sometimes ineligible for IDB as allowed by the USDOT:
If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed reservations than there are seats available), no one may be denied boarding against his or her will until airline personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservation willingly, in exchange for compensation of the airline’s choosing. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with the following boarding priority of American. In such events, American will usually deny boarding based upon check-in time, but we may also consider factors such as severe hardships, fare paid, and status within the AAdvantage® program.
If you are denied boarding involuntarily, you are entitled to a payment of
‘‘denied boarding compensation’’ from the airline unless:
- You have not fully complied with the airline’s ticketing, check-in and reconfirmation requirements, or you are not acceptable for transportation under the airline’s usual rules and practices; or
- You are denied boarding because the flight is canceled; or
You are denied boarding because a smaller capacity aircraft was substituted for safety or operational reasons; or
- On a flight operated with an aircraft having 60 or fewer seats, you are denied boarding due to safety-related weight/balance restrictions that limit payload; or
- You are offered accommodations in a section of the aircraft other than specified in your ticket, at no extra charge (a passenger seated in a section for which a lower fare is charged must be given an appropriate refund); or
- The airline is able to place you on another flight or flights that are planned to reach your next stopover or final destination within one hour of the planned arrival time of your original flight.[/code]
The previous thread is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
Passengers involuntarily denied boarding on AA are denied usually after calls for volunteers to accept vouchers (and occasionally variable other benefits), usually beginning at $200 or $300 but possibly going significantly higher, depending on passenger response. See more below, including AA Conditions of Carriage.
See IDB / Involuntarily Denied Boarding on AA & Compensation (master thread) for INVOLUNTARILY denied boarding.
Link to US Dept. of Transportation Aviation Consumer Protection Division's "Fly-Rights - A Consumer Guide to Air Travel" section on Overbooking
"IDB" (involuntarily denied boarding) compensation is governed in the USA by "14 CFR 250.5 - Amount of denied boarding compensation for passengers denied boarding involuntarily".
Link to CFR §250.5; as well:
14 CFR § 250.2b Carriers to request volunteers for denied boarding.
(a) In the event of an oversold flight, every carrier shall request volunteers for denied boarding before using any other boarding priority. A “volunteer” is a person who responds to the carrier's request for volunteers and who willingly accepts the carriers' offer of compensation, in any amount, in exchange for relinquishing the confirmed reserved space. Any other passenger denied boarding is considered for purposes of this part to have been denied boarding involuntarily, even if that passenger accepts the denied boarding compensation.
(b) Every carrier shall advise each passenger solicited to volunteer for denied boarding, no later than the time the carrier solicits that passenger to volunteer, whether he or she is in danger of being involuntarily denied boarding and, if so, the compensation the carrier is obligated to pay if the passenger is involuntarily denied boarding. If an insufficient number of volunteers come forward, the carrier may deny boarding to other passengers in accordance with its boarding priority rules.
14 CFR § 250.9 Written explanation of denied boarding compensation and boarding priorities, and verbal notification of denied boarding compensation.
(a) Every carrier shall furnish passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily from flights on which they hold confirmed reserved space immediately after the denied boarding occurs, a written statement explaining the terms, conditions, and limitations of denied boarding compensation, and describing the carriers' boarding priority rules and criteria. The carrier shall also furnish the statement to any person upon request at all airport ticket selling positions which are in the charge of a person employed exclusively by the carrier, or by it jointly with another person or persons, and at all boarding locations being used by the carrier.
Link to AA Conditions of Carriage, "Oversales"
In the European Union, EC261/2004 governs denied boarding compensation.
Link to EC261 / EC 261/2004 complaints and AA (master thread)
On American Airlines, you are sometimes ineligible for IDB as allowed by the USDOT:
If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed reservations than there are seats available), no one may be denied boarding against his or her will until airline personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservation willingly, in exchange for compensation of the airline’s choosing. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with the following boarding priority of American. In such events, American will usually deny boarding based upon check-in time, but we may also consider factors such as severe hardships, fare paid, and status within the AAdvantage® program.
If you are denied boarding involuntarily, you are entitled to a payment of
‘‘denied boarding compensation’’ from the airline unless:
- You have not fully complied with the airline’s ticketing, check-in and reconfirmation requirements, or you are not acceptable for transportation under the airline’s usual rules and practices; or
- You are denied boarding because the flight is canceled; or
You are denied boarding because a smaller capacity aircraft was substituted for safety or operational reasons; or
- On a flight operated with an aircraft having 60 or fewer seats, you are denied boarding due to safety-related weight/balance restrictions that limit payload; or
- You are offered accommodations in a section of the aircraft other than specified in your ticket, at no extra charge (a passenger seated in a section for which a lower fare is charged must be given an appropriate refund); or
- The airline is able to place you on another flight or flights that are planned to reach your next stopover or final destination within one hour of the planned arrival time of your original flight.[/code]
The previous thread is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
AA Bump Rates; compensation for VDB / Voluntary Denied Boarding (master thread)
#511
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Aspen, CO
Posts: 792
got to the gate on Sunday for AA1 from JFK to LAX, when the GA was asking for a few volunteers to take the 10AM flights, starting at $800 each. having a LONG layover at LAX, I didn't mind taking a later flight so I walked up and volunteered, only to be denied due to some "3-cabin rule?" what is this? I was in F and there was F space on the 10AM... quite honestly I was salty because I really wanted that $800 voucher and was the first to volunteer!
#512
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,816
With all the headaches encountered with PSA this week, some of the more Eagle heavy stations (eg., ORF) were in overbook situations. I took an offer for $500 on my ORF-DCA flight. Rebooking was set to a flight 6 hours later. I took a cab to Newport News and hopped on Amtrak...
#513
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
AA started offering $400 vouchers for 2 seats on a morning BWI-DFW flight on 6/14. No takers so they bumped it up to $420. Not sure if they got any takers or had to IDB anyone.
#515
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
Programs: AA PlatPro, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold, IHG Plat, Reno Air MEGA Platinum
Posts: 10,039
Upon deplaning AA1045 ORD-SEA on Monday 6/25, I overheard the GA for the return flight back to ORD (also AA1045) soliciting 4 volunteers to take a later flight for $510 (not a typo, not sure why the extra $10).
I didn't stick around to see how it turned out.
I didn't stick around to see how it turned out.
#517
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: DC
Programs: AA PPRO, HH Diamond, National EE
Posts: 603
Just saw this thread so I'm a bit behind but on Feb Flight, JFK-CUN non-stop. Ended up collecting $1200 a piece for me and my wife. Now we did have to change our routing to LGA-MIA-CUN but they paid for car service, flight voucher, meal voucher, and we only ended up making it into CUN about 3-4 hours later. Best deal I've every gotten so far.
#519
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Empire State
Programs: AAdvantage Executive Platinum; Marriott Platinum
Posts: 461
A few weeks ago, while en route to LGA for the first leg of my LGA-DCA-MSY trip, I received a phone call from customer service, thanking me for my loyalty, letting me know that there was an aircraft swap for LGA-DCA, and asking if I’d be willing to take an earlier flight (by one hour, with my upgrade still confirmed), in exchange for a $300 voucher. I of course didn’t bat an eye and gladly accepted. Fantastic proactive way to handle the situation, AA!
#521
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,226
#523
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 860
I’m travelling SFO-LAX-JFK with a confirmed upgrade on both legs. The SFO-LAX leg looks to be fully sold (so potentially will be oversold... although I understand that a lot can change before departure time especially on these shorter/high frequency segments).
I dont particularly need to go to LAX and would happily volunteer to fly SFO-JFK direct - any experiences in this type of situation, particularly would AA policy allow to reroute me on the direct flight and carry over my confirmed upgrade?
I dont particularly need to go to LAX and would happily volunteer to fly SFO-JFK direct - any experiences in this type of situation, particularly would AA policy allow to reroute me on the direct flight and carry over my confirmed upgrade?
#524
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Global
Posts: 5,998
I’m travelling SFO-LAX-JFK with a confirmed upgrade on both legs. The SFO-LAX leg looks to be fully sold (so potentially will be oversold... although I understand that a lot can change before departure time especially on these shorter/high frequency segments).
I dont particularly need to go to LAX and would happily volunteer to fly SFO-JFK direct - any experiences in this type of situation, particularly would AA policy allow to reroute me on the direct flight and carry over my confirmed upgrade?
I dont particularly need to go to LAX and would happily volunteer to fly SFO-JFK direct - any experiences in this type of situation, particularly would AA policy allow to reroute me on the direct flight and carry over my confirmed upgrade?
2. Upgrade depends on space available SFO-JFK. If it is available, or if they need your SFO-LAX badly enough, they will upgrade you SFO-JFK.
If it stays full, hit the gate agent up before they ask for volunteers. Tell them - when they are not so rushed - what you are asking for.
#525
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 52
AA 2675 yesterday (RNO-DFW). They announced that they needed 15 volunteers for weight issues and offered $900. Within 2 or 3 minutes, they got call from Captain stating that he thought they could get everyone on. Plane left completely full. I'm not sure if 1 or 2 lucky people were bumped (it was also oversold) but there was definite disappointment from those who were counting their "money" pre-maturely. I'm not sure how the calculations change that drastically within 5 minutes (maybe they left cargo off??) but in any event, that's what happened...