RRDD

I was killing time while waiting for my 4pm CVG-PIT. I noticed that DL.com was no longer selling tickets for the flight, so I walked over to the Delta check-in terminals near B12 to "re-check-in" to see if I would get a message to enter a compensation amount for a VDB.

Sure enough, I got the VDB request screen. I entered my usual $200 and hit enter (although I rarely take less than $400). I then got a message that said; "LET'S TRY AGAIN - You exceeded the maximum allowed bid amount". The VDB request screen would not allow me to enter an amount over $125.

Is this new?

MSPeconomist

If it is now the way the thing works, I see no point in the bidding process. Many people would not accept $125 but might be willing to VDB for more. If the GA has already set $125 as the max to be offered, he/she might learn quickly the IDBs cost a lot more.

Ooompa Loompa

Same thing happened to me STL-SLC on Monday. $125 was the max. I'm pretty sure it's new.

rylan

Thats funny... I don't recall seeing a VDB offer at the gate ever go for only $125. In fact if anything the GA offers have been going up lately due to more oversells.

ryanm

I got $600 a couple weeks ago for DTW-LGA. I was initially offered $400 but she added on $200 since it looked like I wouldn't get the UG on the next flight out (and I didn't). Pretty generous, I thought.

Madefornow

are you sure?? last week ATL-LAX offering $300 for a flight leaving 6hrs later....lol. Some gate agents are mean i tell ya.

FlyAO2

Had the same thing on the 11AM LAS-JFK flight. Nobody bit at $400 - so he upped it to $600 and a First Class Seat. Your choice if you wanted the 4PM or tomorrow morning (and they would cover hotel if you took tomorrow morning).

A little nuts, but I don't wait 6 hours for flights. That finally got someone else to bite though

Erasmus

Don't know about bidding, but $600 was on offer for LAX-SAN today.

jrkmsp

I got the bid max on, I think, a Minneapolis Detroit flight earlier this year. Or maybe it was Austin-Minneapolis. Maxed at $125 as well. This was months ago, though, so it's not "new." But it is annoying. I didn't go for it.

Ebes1099

I've heard countless stories of people putting bids in at $200 and amounts lower than they eventually got. $400 seems pretty standard, and a lot of times they were paying everyone the same amount so if they had to take a bidder that bid $400, even the people who bid lower and got bumped got the higher amount.

On another note, if you make a bid are you forced to take the bump if they need it? Or can I bid $200 at the kiosk and then get to the gate and say I'll no longer take the bump for $200? If you can always deny it, might as well bid the $125 if you want and hope they are offering more at the gate, if not just don't take the bump.

Often1

This is what many have speculated the bid feature is for. Not to actually prioritize VDB's on a given flight, but as a metric (since DL has all of your pax data) to determine what it ought to be paying for VDB. Rather than having GA's taking shots in the dark, the goal is, of course, to start VDB at a level which pax are likely to accept but which won't delay the flight.

It may be that on that route, at that time, there are people bidding $125 or less and DL sees no reason to go above that.

It's clear that all the legacy carriers are piloting various efforts to tamp down VDB.

Remember, you may not take less than $X, but if the flight is oversold by one, it only takes one person willing to take $X-1 and the reverse auction has worked.

I also have no idea what the alternatives were. If DL can get you to your destination quickly enough, there may not be any IDB compensation and so no reason to pay for VDB (other than the DOT ding).

Smyrnaflyer

You are not required to take the bid until they have told you what the alternative arrangements are. Even then, you can say no, or raise the ante. The "bidding" process, as far as I can tell, is just to get a list of volunteers. Obviously, whether the alternate flight gets you in 1 hour or 1 day later affects the value of the VDB.

jwestbury

I hope some of those folks accepting the $125 know that they can no longer combine the vouchers to get a decent discount or a free ticket on future travel. That could be a rude awakening to realize a $400 transcon will still cost you $275, even if you have a pocket full of $125 vouchers.

Bicostal

Delta is not alone in this. Had an offer of $500 for lax-San on AA a week ago.

Spent_All_My_Miles

Out of curiosity, did Delta specify the flight(s) on which you would be reaccomodated if you got VDBed?

While $125 sounds excessively low, if you did this far enough in advance that they would going to offer something that got in at about the same time, they may well not consider it a big deal and might expect some people to bite.

Of course, if this was a normal 2-3 hours later for the next nonstop, it's ridiculous.