AA VDB maximum?
 

What's the maximum AA will offer for voluntarily denied boarding?

Delta just raised. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...-vouchers.html

UA is reviewing its policy in light of recent events and will no doubt raise.

All current AA vouchers state that the amount cannot exceed $1,000.

Does policy allow for multiple vouchers? IIRC, vouchers cannot be combined, but must be used for separate flights.

Although the PR mess is UA, I'm hoping DL and AA keep an eye and improve their customer service. It looks like DL has and fired the first shot. I hope it keeps on coming and the big 3 keep improving.

Is it a PR move? Absolutely! So what! If it improves our lives as travelers, I'll take it!

I am surprised. I thought INTL VDBs would have got more. I once got a VDB of this much in JFK-EZE J. Was put overnight and early morning JFK-MIA-EZE F.
Actually did try to ask for $1200USD but was turned down.

Out of curiosity, do you still earn EQM's EQDs and miles on flights you apply a voucher to?

The max VDB to offer probably depends on the amount it would cost to IDB someone, an amount that will vary flight to flight. I swear I've heard a $2,000 VDB with AA offered on a DFW-BOG, mostly as it would have also involved spending the night at a hotel at/near DFW. I'm guessing it would also have involved a significant time delay. It wasn't on a flight I was on though, only heard it as I walked by the gate for it, so take it with a grain of salt.

Yes.

If you're really lucky, you can also get a voucher on your voucher flight. I haven't been offered a voucher in several years, but there was a time when it seemed to happen often.

One year I got 3 consecutive itineraries with 4 vouchers. I had "free" trips for a year. It was when I was still in school. I believe it was Thanksgiving, followed by XMas, then Spring Break. All really busy and ripe for vouchers.

Last month, J was oversold on DFW-HKG, and they needed two volunteers. They started at a $1,000 voucher. Then offered refund of fare difference. Then offered a $1,500 voucher, plus refund. Then offered $1,500 voucher, plus J re-route through NRT.

I believe the final deal was a $2,000 voucher, overnight at DFW, and F on the next day's DFW-HKG.

They actually offered rebook in Y without fare difference? :eek:

I remember these days fondly. This was how I first became EXP. This seemed to happen when AA's ops were abysmal (pilots were mad, minor mx issues were noticed and reported more often, etc.) and rebooking was rampant. I once got a total of five vouchers and full-fare F on one MSY-DFW-ORD round-trip.

I had a sweet ride on vouchers and did a significant amount of personal flying in F and J for $0.

I think it's been over a year since I've received one. :( Whenever they do offer them, I have to be somewhere.

That's a great deal. Was the offer only available to J pax, or were they soliciting Y pax too?

I know! Can't imagine why none of us jumped up at that one! I was getting tempted toward the end, but really needed to be in Taiwan on time...

Only J pax... they were selling us hard. I don't know what kind of screw-up/oversold thing they did, but that plane wasn't leaving until the 2 pax waiting for their J seats got on board. We must have sat 30 minutes extra because of this. They were making announcements, and personally engaging with each of us to try and convince us!

I hope they were CK/EXP/FULL J and not deadheading crew.

WOW - I was on that flight too

I was shocked the initial offer was J to Y and $1000 voucher
Our flight attendant (in F) was laughing with us about how low it was

It seemed amazing to me that the GA seems so shocked that $1000 wasn't enough

This seems to be a case where Delta's Max of $9950 might apply

I thought the final offer was DFW to NRT to HKG on the same day in J
Plus $2000. Considering J can be over $10,000 one way I can't believe anyone took it for $2K

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.