TGGDEL

I'm sitting in MIA and they're looking for volunteers, they have my name already. They're offering $250 and a hotel for the night plus the first flight out tomorrow. I've only done this once before and it was with delta. They gave me $600. What do you guys think?

reigndrop

if you got nothing holding you back, go for it!

channa

It's a bit chintzy compared to what other carriers offer, but CO tends to be that way (and not just with VDBs).

If you're willing to do it for that money, go for it. Otherwise, pass on it or try to negotiate higher. The problem is many CO employees like to vigilantly protect the CO COffers, so it may be difficult to push them up. Others don't care as much, so it really depends on who you get.

fireworksboy

I'm with channa on this. If you've got nothing holding you back, take the voucher but UA is much better with compensation and so are the other airlines I've volunteered on. Odds are that CO won't up the ante but you never know. Good luck.^

sfogate

Nothing wrong with accepting $250 for a bump, if you want another night/day in Miami.

IIRC Delta "forces" you to use the entire VDB for a ticket whereas CO doesn't.

channa

Nonsense. Delta Dollars have allowed residual value before CO started allowing it.

sfogate

My mistake then.

CO originally allowed for residual value, then changed it to no residual value and now it's back to residual value.

channa

No worries. DL was actually cited as a model for how CO should do it back when CO had no residual value. At that time, DL and NW had electronic + residual. AA had paper + residual, and UA had (and still has) paper divided value quasi-residual (e.g. $400 = 4 x $100 combineable)

I remember back in the pre-residual days having the Electronic Support Desk book multiple RTs on one ticket to optimally use up a voucher since CO did not allow residual. It had to be multiple trips on one PNR because of this, and it had to be the ESD to get 100% EQM back in the 50% EQM days. Ahh, CO and their games. Always have to think two steps ahead of them.

That said, if it weren't for that, I would never have learned that CO has a 12-segment limit on auto-priced itineraries.

entropy

UA's default is $400... I took $300 on a IAH-SJC bump a few months ago now... then that flight had a 2.5 hour MX, so I'm glad I wasn't on it!

TGGDEL

Well, I ended up not taking it. There said they were looking for a number of people, they even went up to $300 and a number of people were lined up as I scanned my boarding pass - my name was first on the volunteer list but I declined.
Then, I have no idea what happened. I saw each and every one of the 8 or so people waiting to be bumped, walk past me on the plane. They must not have needed them. They looked annoyed, and there was no luggage space, so all in all I guess I cane out on top. In a weird way...

TGGDEL

Double post

Yoshi212

Mia to where?

I just got 500$ to get bumped in St Thomas (stt-ewr)for my return from St John. Got an extra night in the caribbean, 85$ in food vouchers, Transport and first class back the next day via SJU.

Got to SJU and they were looking for volunteers. $300 to take the later flight. but sadly a lady beat me to it.

The hotel at St Thomas was great and all 7 of us VDB people hung out and partied the night away. The hotel gave us 6 free drinks each.

Steve M

Yep. That's the danger of "volunteering" to be bumped. If you're not needed, often you end up having to gate-check your carry-on at best, and sometimes end up losing your original seat and get stuck with a middle seat.

channa

You should not lose your seat assignment if properly handled.

Kate_Canuck

I think Mr Canuck was on the same flight - he was heading home after our weekend in Miami. (I've got a work thing here for the next two days.) Might have been a nice surprise for me if he'd come back for another night - but he couldn't afford the day off work so he turned the offer down.