Obviously if I'd paid for J that wouldn't be enough, but if I had upgraded, I'd happily take $1000 to fly in Y.

It would be wrong and in some companies would be a fireable offense, but there could be people traveling for business who would try to take the $1000.

That would be equivalent to selling a SWU back to AA for AA$1000.

Well, yes. If AA offered me $1000 for each of the SWUs now in my account, I wouldn't hesitate. :)

Another way to think about it - if I were offered a kiosk upgrade for $1000, I wouldn't take it, so the flipside is I would take $1000 for a downgrade.

I assumed they meant $1000 PLUS the fare difference.

Seriously, if AA gave $4,000 in AA funny money instead of 4 SWUs upon reaching EXP, I think I'd take the $4k :D. Definitely would trade 2 of them for $2,000 AA funny money total.

If a pax in J (who used an SWU) agreed to $1000 voucher to sit in Y, would they also get their SWU put back in their account (since it wasn't being used)?

I'd certainly ask for a redeposit.

Looks like there were quite a lot of flex/full fare Js on that flight. Perhaps I didn't get that good of the deal enough, but doubt if they were going to just IDB people with as JFK-EZE couldn't require as much premium as DFW-HKG.


Bolded. This is way too lame. That could actually happen if a lot of EXPs getting cleared on the flight at the same time without getting flagged by the system, but it does look like some last minute full fare J passengers get on the flight. First offer should have been $1000USD + ANY J reroute, CX, UA, BA, JL, whatever it takes. $1000USD funny money + Y/eVIP redeposit is just too lame. I can't imagine why someone took that $1000USD by forfeiting a chance to use their cleared eVIP.

All of this attention will create some problems for many employees traveling on an employer or client or customer's nickel.

While there may well be policies against taking VDB those may never have been enforced and the amounts may never have been large. But, when they become cash or cash equivalent and large, there will be employers who balk.

Nothing to be done about IDB. But, not only might an employer, client, customer insist that VDB (not the hotel & meals, but simple delay and downgrade) belongs to them, but paid F/J downgraded with a refund component or VDB paid in gift cards and the like, may well be taxable income if you did not pay for the ticket.

A couple of hundred bucks every few years and nobody will bother tracking this. But, a company which pays the J over Y premium to fly its employee TPAC and then has the employee fly in Y and take a refund, might have a concern.

(Bolding mine)

It is indeed: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/03/sp...sentenced.html

I doubt the infraction occurred only once.

But, that's the point. None of this is about some guy who gets himself a weekend somewhere with a voucher. This is about people who turn VDB into a mini-business.

If there is a business justification for paid F/J on TPAC, it is that the employee arrives well-rested on the other end. Taking a voluntary DG also challenges the notion that the premium cabin was reasonable in the first place.