Maybe at OAL, but not DL.

The most recent DOT report shows DL IDB’d 0 passengers in the last 12 months. Zero! It simply does not happen any more.

Wrong and Wrong. I have witnessed it within the last year out of ANC on DL. While rare - it DOES happen. As an airline pilot we don’t really have to deal with it, but it does show up in our departure delay log on occasion. How that gets reported to DOT is another discussion, but rest assured it does happen.

While the OP should be fine, not having a seat assignment, or buying a Basic Economy Ticket, does slightly increase the risk.

I think the IDB issue is basically a red-hearing. Even if possible, the odds are near nill.

IMO, OP should chose 2 good seats for him and wife and leave the other seats unselected. Let the GA know the kids should sit together if possible. They will very likely get seats together in the back where they are blocked for families.

If no seats are selected, OP can sit in the back with the kids.

If all seats are selected, the GA is more likely to do nothing to get seats for the 3 kids together.

I'm not sure what you think is an IDB, but it isn't whatever you're seeing/thinking you're seeing. Are you accusing DL of fraud/falsifying reports to DOT? DL has had several well documented cases of paying thousands to get people to volunteer. True even if IDB reason would allow not needing to pay IDB comp.

Having a seat has no bearing. The system will ask for volunteers automatically in most cases, and agents will also ask at gate .

I also have no clue why a pilot would even be told if a passenger was IDB, makes no sense. I could see a report saying we may need to IDB X passengers. (Say W&B issue) However why would they even tell you a passenger was IDB/VDB. It isn't information you or crew need.

Sorry, you are 100% incorrect, and I am not going to debate it any further than this reply. You seem to not be willing to accept when you are incorrect, even when I can anecdotally confirm it does happen as someone intimately familiar with the industry.

Case 1: ANC. Passenger sitting next to me had a travel companion on the same reservation denied boarding involuntarily as no volunteers would take a later flight. Highest offer was $8,000 and after 30 minutes past departure time, the gate agent came on board and informed the passenger that their companion was not going to be on the flight as they couldn’t find any volunteers. After the passenger made a phone call to the other, they agreed to split up, and the passenger next to me continued on. This of course caused discussion and I was able to decipher it was a husband and wife traveling on Basic Economy Tickets. The wife was given an exit row middle seat (I was the window) with the assurance they would be able to find a volunteer to take a later flight and her husband would be given whatever seat that turned out to be.

Now - it is quite possible the gate agent coded the husband as a VDB - but in reality it was an IDB. I was not operating the flight so did not have access to the paperwork.

Case 2. SFO. I have personally caused an IDB as a must ride deadheading Crewmember. The agents of course tried to find volunteers, but after 45 minutes of attempts, phone calls were made to determine the proper order to IDB a passenger. Ultimately a customer without a seat assignment was chosen.

We as pilots see this information in order to input a delay code. In some system these are audited to determine if everything matches up.

While these cases are definitely not the norm, IDB DOES happen and not having seat assignments (such as basic economy) does put one at a higher risk.