"Are your plans flexible?" email
 

Is this a new thing? I don't remember seeing this before. I'm on DEN-CLT Sunday and it looks pretty full. I got an email asking if my plans were flexible. And offering me a "free" change to Monday flights. How considerate of them. :)

I know the app used to offer bidding on dollars you'd accept for an alternate flight. But are we supposed to do this out of the kindness of our hearts now?

Also interesting that at the same time the app is showing upgrade to F for $353

Not new. Consider it a guaranteed free change of flight if it’s more convenient. If it isn’t - don’t do them the favor.

Short of AA paying for another hotel night and asking my boss to let me off Monday, no, I’d say it’s not convenient. :b

These have been around for a while. It makes sense to see if someone bites. I bet enough people do given AA still offers these types of changes.

I've gotten alerts on every flight I've flown the past three weeks. Definitely more packed planes with more people flying and flight schedules not back to normal. Mine have asked me to select a dollar amount that I would be willing to accept. They are likely looking for the lowest bidder. One flight had an option up to $850 and this was just a 1 hour flight.

I would do this on occasion but the biggest issue is you don't get confirmed until the last second as they want to see if they have enough seats from no-shows. So, you get to sit in the boarding area while the entire plane fills and then at the last second they say they don't need you. Then you get to walk on to a packed plane with no overhead bin space.

A few years now. But usually during peak days so the options they offer aren’t usually that great.

Not new and for the most part completely worthless even insulting. I normally get these are your plans flexible emails when I’m traveling for one night on business for a meeting. Usually I get availability for departure the next day. Doesn’t do me much good.

If you decline, and others also follow suit, you'll probably start seeing offers to take a bump and can pick the price you're willing to accept. That, of course, would mean if you're chosen you'd be missing work.

I often pick the highest compensation choice ($600-$800). You still get final right of refusal, so they don't move you until the gate agent confirms with you, in person, whether you still want it or not. FYI - I've never been called up to the podium when I've pre-selected the high bump compensation.

I’ve used this option about 20 percent of my flights the last 18 months. In fact sometimes I book a cheaper flight HOPING they’ll offer this. To the OP: the benefit is this, you don’t have to go to the airport and hope, and you don’t have to attempt any Same Day standby or confirmed. Yea, they won’t be paying you any money or trip credit but you won’t be wasting time or money going to the airport and back. It doesn’t work for all but for a few of us on occasion it’s actually a blessing.

In addition, they offer it when the flight nears being full, even when it isn’t. 99 percent of the time when I bid on the option to be bumped when it is oversold, even if I bid the lowest amount, the plane ends up having room.

I don't understand why anyone is mad about this? If you don't want to change your flight, no one is forcing you. If you do want to change your flight, this is free and provides more options than a same day flight change.

I sometimes take advantage if F is near booked or fully booked and an alternative flight given F is wide open. This assumes my schedule allows to change a flight.

Good point. I can see that being a benefit if one’s plans truly are flexible.

i don’t think anyone is mad. I’m certainly not. It was just curious to me that the offer to fly one day later is there, but no offers for cash bids.

yep, that’s the case here. They’d probably have more success with the pretty please free option if same day options existed.