I have done $300 each for a 3 hour delay, for myself, my wife, and my daughter. I thought $100/hour was a good deal.

Yes, you have seen higher offers, but doesn't always mean that DL will start that high, and like another poster states, $100/hr isn't shabby.

That was $100/hour for a 3-hour delay, not overnight. $100/hour for an overnight delay would be more like $1,000 than $300.

$600 today on an ATL-BOS flight that was oversold by 8; alternate flight would have been tomorrow. Turns out 9 people never checked in, so no volunteers were needed.

"cheap GA" and "continually declining" have nothing to do with supply and demand. In fact, calling the GA cheap here is completely COUNTER to the idea of supply and demand.

If a GA makes an offer for $200 and someone takes it, what's the big deal? Sounds "cheap", but if someone is willing to take the low offer, so be it. Arguably, it would be stupid to take $200 for a lengthy delay, but at the end of the day, it is up to the individual to discern whether or not an offer is worth it or not. Payout amounts will typically correlate to the length of the resulting delay, as the delay has an inherent range of value to the customer... some will take a lowball offer, while others will not entertain even a thought of a lower offer.... all depends on the individual. Many of us, including myself, would consider some offers "cheap", but some may bite (thinking the offer is better than you or I, or not knowing that offers can go significantly higher and are sometimes worth holding out for).

That's my thought process.....

I agree with you, many people on FT forget that most people who fly are leisure travelers and really don't know that DL will offer a higher amount and those who take the lower amount are thinking they have done well.

If they need a lot of people, it's also the case that the first ones to volunteer will definitely be used and everybody gets the same amount. So, in an extreme example, they need 8 volunteers. I accept $200; they keep raising the amount, and at $700 have 7 volunteers. At $1,000 20 people jump up, only one of them gets accepted, and all the people who volunteered at lesser amounts get $1,000.

Yes... every volunteer will have their compensation adjusted to the maximum amount offered. This is why you never leave the gate immediately after receiving compensation in these instances where more people are needed.

On Friday, JFK MAD was over by one. Took the bump for $1500. Was rebooked on Aer Europa’s Nonstop about two hours later. Same connection in MAD.

🤣🤣

Unless you figure the odds of getting more are worse than the odds they won't need you and will take it away.

But these days, they don't provide compensation until after the door closes; in fact, I don't believe a GA can. (A redcoat can.) I once, very annoyingly, lost out because the GA didn't know that.

I think I have all of you beat. I received a $600 voucher for taking an earlier flight. I knew my RDU-ATL flight was oversold, was the first and only person there to talk to GA 1 hour prior. She put me as #1 on the volunteer list but then offered the RDU-ATL flight currently boarding at the next gate. I asked if there would be compensation for taking it and she said no, so I said I would just hang out and take the bump. She then offered me the voucher to get on the earlier flight, so I did. My third $600 voucher this year and first ever for taking an earlier flight.

-outoftown

DL and other airlines may be different in that they will only issue compensation after the flight departs the gate / door closed. United has proactively worked at the gate to get volunteers in more extreme situations, and has comped well in advance of the door closing (sometimes before boarding even starts)... and I have hung out at the gate on an occasion to see the compensation offer upped during the end of boarding. Once I was certain of the outcome, I returned to the podium and asked to have the compensation matched, which was followed my a new voucher being issued.

This scenario is rare, but it does happen.

How new is the rule of not offering bumps until after the door closes? I was offered a bump last November before boarding even started. In fact I was first in line at the gate agent desk when they opened about 1 hour before departure. I was offered the bump well before boarding started - actually just after they opened.

Sweet! Congrats! Now where are the posters above who called me out for saying the GA in ATL was cheap for offering $300 for a 3 hour delay, or $100 per hour...this customer received $750 an hour! :)

Sweet! I've only received vouchers for VDB twice in advance of boarding too, and once was at RDU!

That's not the rule, nor what anyone on here said. They said COMPENSATION isn't processed until after the door closes. They still have a volunteer list ad pick volunteers, but I assume until the door is closed and they really know every seat is occcupied, they are not to offer compensation (I'm guessing there were instances where they processed comp before the door closed and ending up not needing volunteers)