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)
#706
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#707
Join Date: May 2008
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AA 202 DCA/DFW, asked for three volunteers at $500/each and got all three (including me). Originally routed on a much later nonstop but had them send me DCA/MEM/DFW arriving 3 hours later than scheduled.
#708
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New twist to the online VDB offers. Yesterday I got an email around 5PM asking me if I would switch to a later flight today MIA/LAX for $300. While I had a PE seat (sold as Y) I really wanted to sleep in (6:40AM flight) so I took one of the many alternative flights offered. I've never seen AA offer a VDB upfront. Even when the flight has been well oversold I've always had to wait to the end (and just about every time I was not needed). This flight must have been massively oversold-a 773 at that.
#710
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I'm speculating that the offer might only come when enough paxs check in to make the flight oversold. IIRC if AA has sold more tixs than seats it's considered "overbooked" but if more people check in than seats available it goes to "oversold."
#712
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
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#713
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Posts: 2,820
pretty stingy on AA's part here to not go any higher as to avoid IDBs. United has gone far higher in these cases. I received $800 for DEN-SFO last year for a 787-9 to B767-300 downgauge. That's the amount it took to find the 30 people they needed at the gate.
#714
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ORD
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Family of mine got $6k apiece on NYE from UA to get off a CUN flight. I believe only three or four volunteers were needed, but no one would budge.
#715
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Berlin
Posts: 1,765
Not sure why they didn't go higher, but it was pretty chaotic and they got a fair number of volunteers, including me. Didn't get enough, obviously, and I'm not sure $1k or $1200 would have gotten more people off the plane. I was simply heading home and getting back Sunday am instead of late Saturday was pretty irrelevant to me.
#718
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,988
The 6K is in UA funny money that expires. The IDB payment is cash.
Arguably the 6K has little to no marginal cost to UA whereas the cash does. That, and the impact by having IDBs reported and their rankings dropping.
Arguably the 6K has little to no marginal cost to UA whereas the cash does. That, and the impact by having IDBs reported and their rankings dropping.
#719
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 130
Was booked CMH to PHX on a nonstop yesterday evening. When I went to check the flight yesterday on the app, I got a pop up asking for volunteers. (Stupidly, I did not screenshot it.) Pricing options were $200, $250, $300, $350, $400, $450. I selected the highest dollar amount of $450. There was a quick message saying I would be notified by an agent via text (I think, but honestly I don't remember the exact wording or details). I get to the airport a little early, and at the counter, the agent said I was #3 on the volunteer list. At the gate, they call me up to verify that I want to still be a volunteer. I confirmed. There was also another older couple who also were interested in volunteering. I assume they were #1 and #2 . Ultimately, they did need one volunteer, and it was me (Maybe the older couple did not want to be split up?). At any rate, I was given a voucher for $450, and put on a connection (CMH-ORD-PHX) and got home 3 hours after originally planned.
#720
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 126
September 9th, Bozeman to Chicago needed two volunteers. The app options were between $250 to $450. At the gate, they were announcing an offer of a $750 voucher, hotel, flight out the next day, and a food voucher. It took awhile to get the two volunteers, but they managed it.