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Compensation: “Bumps” — Voluntary and Involuntary Denied Boarding [2000-2019]

Old Nov 30, 2018, 8:49 am
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Last edit by: ryandc99
Link to open 2020 and beyond version of this thread:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delt...20-beyond.html


My (LoganFlyer's) guide to maximizing your bump chances on Delta:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30484249-post1713.html

(The concise version:

1. Use the App to see if more people are looking for seats than there are seats available. As part of the Customer Commitment, gate agents, phone res agents, and tickets agents must tell you if a flight is overbooked if you ask. (They don't need to say by how many seats.)
2. Do everything you can to get on the volunteer list through OLCI or a kiosk at the airport, since some GAs use that list.
3. Talk to the GA as soon as the gate opens up--don't wait for them to make an announcement.
4. Don't be afraid to negotiate with the GA.)
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Compensation: “Bumps” — Voluntary and Involuntary Denied Boarding [2000-2019]

Old Nov 27, 2018, 7:29 am
  #1726  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: LBB
Programs: UA 1K 1MM ★G | Marriott LTT | Hilton ♦ | Hertz PC | Global Entry TSA Pre ✓
Posts: 2,820
Originally Posted by sethb
Generally, yes, but it's always best to tell the agent that you want the largest amount anyone gets.
This is 100% correct. Even if you accepted a lower offer, all you have to do is ask the GA, and they will give you the maximum offer. I have never had an issue with this when volunteering a seat on any airline. As a side note, I always stay at the gate until it closes the door just in case the offer jumps up.
jjmoore is offline  
Old Nov 27, 2018, 8:06 am
  #1727  
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, DC, Chapel Hill, NC (RDU)
Programs: DL Plat (won't hit DM again) 2MM (2.5), HH Gold, PC Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 5,624
Originally Posted by jjmoore
As a side note, I always stay at the gate until it closes the door just in case the offer jumps up.
My last 2 bumps, agents have come on to the plane to get me. When I'm on the list, I'll ask just before boarding and if told maybe will wait, if told not likely will board. So in both cases, something changed at the last minute and I've been take off. Once the agent came to get me, moved someone from coach to my FC seat and brought the new person on and sent to the vacant seat in the back. Agent did all the right things.
mot29 is offline  
Old Nov 30, 2018, 11:12 am
  #1728  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Now in SLC
Programs: DL GM 1MM, MR LT Titanium
Posts: 4,090
After discussing with 3Cforme, we've agreed that the post below, which I originally made as a separate thread, would be best done as a post here to keep all the discussion about bumping in one place. I've added a link to this post and a concise version in the Wiki for this thread in case people find it helpful.
-------
I've been lucky enough to get a whole bunch of bumps over the last 15 months amounting to $5800 in total compensation, and I've developed a strategy to maximize my chances. This is long, but hopefully these tips will help you out!

General tips:
  1. BE PROACTIVE. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you just show up at the gate and wait for them to solicit volunteers, you will lose out on many bumping opportunities.
  2. Be flexible in your schedule if possible. The next available flight to your destination might not be for several hours or even the next day. Luckily, I had a job where I had to show up at 8 AM on a given day, which meant I could fly to that city any time the day before. I would often take an early flight (think 6-7 AM) knowing that if I got bumped, I would still make it to my destination with time to spare. But if you have no flexibility in your schedule, you won’t be able to take the bumps.
  3. The app is your best friend for figuring out if a flight is oversold within 24 hours of the flight. If you look at the standby list for your flight, it’ll show you how many seats are left and how many people have checked in but are waiting for a seat. Once there are more people looking for a seat than there are seats on the plane, it may be bump time! This isn’t perfect—some of those people may be non-revs who aren’t guaranteed a seat at all. But it certainly gives you a good clue. (In case you're not aware, to see this list, in your itinerary in the app, tap on "Upgrade/standby list." Then tap on "standby list.")
  4. Don’t get frustrated by missed opportunities. There will be times you do everything right, but the gate agent doesn’t select you for the bump. For example, maybe they need to bump two people and even though you volunteered first, the next two people who volunteered were a couple and so the gate agent went with them instead of you. Gate agents can choose whomever they want to bump off a flight and sometimes it won’t be you. You can’t completely control the process and that’s OK. And of course, there will be those times you get a sweet offer, but then 10 people don’t check in or miss their connection and so they don’t need you. That’s also OK—don’t give up!
  5. Always, always, always, always be polite to the gate agent! Remember I just said they can use any criteria they want when selecting whom they bump. You can be firm in your asking price while being polite—these are not mutually exclusive!
Now for the specific advice…

Step 1: Get on the bumping list during the check in process.

If a flight may be oversold, Delta will ask people as they check in on-line if they want to take a bump. This creates a list of people the gate agent can see at their podium. Some gate agents don’t use that list at all, but some do, so you want to be on that list. Here’s how to get on it:
  1. Check in at delta.com, NOT the app. You can’t get on the bumping list through the app; you must check in through the Delta website.

    a. Key point here: if you’ve already checked in on the app, it’s not enough to go to delta.com, log in, and check in through the delta.com homepage. That just shows you your boarding pass; it doesn’t actually take you through the check in process again, and you’ll never get the chance to get on the bumping list. Instead, you need to drill in to your itinerary details and check in through that page. That will re-initiate the check in process and may give you the opportunity to get on the bumping list.

    b. Keep following the app! You may not get a chance to get on the list at exactly 24 hours out, but you may see later on that there are more people looking for seats than there are seats available. If that happens, go back to delta.com and check in again! Just make sure to keep point a) above in mind.
  2. If you can’t get on the list by checking in a delta.com, you can still try to get on the list by checking in at a kiosk at the airport. Sometimes, a flight doesn’t become overbooked until much closer to the flight time, so the kiosk may allow you to get on the list while delta.com wouldn’t. I've even been known to go to a kiosk in the airside area to see if I could get on the list--this is especially effective if you're connecting. When you reach your connecting airport, if you're not on the list for the second flight, go to a kiosk in the connection airport and check in again.
Whether you get on the list by checking in at delta.com or a kiosk, it’ll ask you how much you would accept to take a different flight. The options shown will typically range from $200-$500, but you can type in any amount up to $800. I always put in $800. Only once (that I know of) have I had a gate agent use the list in order of cheapest bid to most expensive bid, but I’ve also had gate agents tell me there were giving me $800 because that’s what I bid.

Step 2: Talk to the gate agent early

Whether you get on the list or not, you want to talk to the gate agent in person as early as possible. They will know the exact status of how much the flight is oversold by. The gate agent should arrive at the gate 60 minutes before the flight for a domestic flight or 90 minutes for an international flight. I like to be at the gate 30 minutes before that, as sometimes gate agents arrive early. Some bumps are first come, first served, so as soon as they open up the gate, you want to be at the front of the line! Here’s how the conversation between me and the gate agent would typically go:

Gate agent (GA): “May I help you?”

Me: “Hi! I was wondering if this flight is oversold.”

GA: “Let me check.”

<types away furiously…>

GA Answer 1: “It is not.” If they say this, say thank you and move on.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, it is.”

Me: “May I volunteer to take a different flight?”

GA Answer 1: “I’ve got a list of people who are interested I’ll be choosing from.” In that case, I would ask them to confirm that I’m on the list. Or if somehow I couldn’t get on the list, I would ask them to put me on the list, but this had mixed success, which is why it's so important to get on the list while checking in.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, but I don’t know the details yet. What seat are you in? I’ll call you back up once I have backup flights.” If you get this answer, show them your seat, thank them, and then step away from the gate. They will call you back up.

GA Answer 3: “Yes, and here’s the backup flight and the amount of money I’m offering.” Negotiation time!

Step 3: Negotiations

If you get answer #3 , or you got answer #1 or 2 and they call you back up to the gate, then it becomes negotiation time! Every GA is different, but here are some general tips for negotiations:
  1. Ask how much the flight is oversold by. This will give you a clue how much leverage you have. If it’s oversold by just 1, you’re probably going to get the gate agent’s first offer, since they can always find someone else. If they’re oversold by 10, you’re much more likely to be able to increase the price.
  2. As a general rule, whatever they say, ask for $500 more. (An example conversation with a GA might look this. GA: “I’m offering $500 for this flight.” Me: “Can you offer $1000?”) You probably won’t get the extra $500, but it could get the gate agent to increase their offer by at least $100. And some GAs won’t budge at all. Worst they do is say no. They won't take you off the bumping list or think less of you because you asked for more money.
  3. If you were confirmed in first class on the original flight, make sure to confirm you’ll be in first class on the backup flight. If you were in coach on the original flight, ask if they can confirm in you in first on the backup flight. Worst they do is say no. (See a pattern here? You don’t get what you don’t ask for!)
  4. If it’s an overnight bump, make sure to explicitly ask about a hotel. Sometimes, they’ll assume you’re local and not offer one unless you ask.
  5. Finally, if the flight is oversold by a lot, make sure to get the GA to confirm they’ll give you whatever they give the last person who agrees to take the bump. Sometimes, they need to up the offer to get more people to agree to the bump. They should give you and everybody that maximum amount they offered, but it doesn’t hurt to be explicit about it.
Special note here: say a flight is oversold by 14 and your minimum is $800 since the backup flight is the next day. They offer $400, and it seems no one is taking it. Should you wait for the offer to get to $800 before taking the bump?

Answer: absolutely not!! Get on the list at $400. Remember that last point about how everyone will get the same compensation whether they bid first or last. However, while the flight is oversold by 14, maybe they only actually need 10 people because 4 people don’t end up showing up. If that’s the case, the gate agent will go in the order people volunteered, so the people who volunteered last won’t get bumped and the people who volunteered when the offer was $400 will get the bump but still get the full amount offered at the very end.

Step 4: The waiting game

This can be the hardest part of all. Once you’re done with the negotiations, there is nothing more you can do except go back to your seat and cross your fingers. The days of Delta giving you the voucher immediately after the conversation above are long gone. Instead, you have to wait to see if everyone actually shows up. So don't go rearranging your plans in your destination city yet! Sometimes, they’ll know early in the boarding process they won’t need your seat and they’ll tell you to board. Sometimes, you won’t know until just before the door closes if they’ll need your seat. There’s literally nothing you can do except wait for the GA’s instructions. Pestering them while boarding is going on won’t help, so don’t do it. Just have patience.

Conclusion

There they are—most, if not all, of the tips I’ve learned in the last 15 months of getting bumped. Any feedback is welcome. Best of luck out there!

Last edited by LoganFlyer; Nov 30, 2018 at 11:18 am
LoganFlyer is online now  
Old Dec 4, 2018, 8:46 am
  #1729  
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Howell, Michigan, USA
Programs: DL 2+Million Miler, Delta Platinum(by choice), Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium, IHG Platinum
Posts: 649
Thumbs up

Originally Posted by LoganFlyer
After discussing with 3Cforme, we've agreed that the post below, which I originally made as a separate thread, would be best done as a post here to keep all the discussion about bumping in one place. I've added a link to this post and a concise version in the Wiki for this thread in case people find it helpful.
-------
I've been lucky enough to get a whole bunch of bumps over the last 15 months amounting to $5800 in total compensation, and I've developed a strategy to maximize my chances. This is long, but hopefully these tips will help you out!

General tips:
  1. BE PROACTIVE. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you just show up at the gate and wait for them to solicit volunteers, you will lose out on many bumping opportunities.
  2. Be flexible in your schedule if possible. The next available flight to your destination might not be for several hours or even the next day. Luckily, I had a job where I had to show up at 8 AM on a given day, which meant I could fly to that city any time the day before. I would often take an early flight (think 6-7 AM) knowing that if I got bumped, I would still make it to my destination with time to spare. But if you have no flexibility in your schedule, you won’t be able to take the bumps.
  3. The app is your best friend for figuring out if a flight is oversold within 24 hours of the flight. If you look at the standby list for your flight, it’ll show you how many seats are left and how many people have checked in but are waiting for a seat. Once there are more people looking for a seat than there are seats on the plane, it may be bump time! This isn’t perfect—some of those people may be non-revs who aren’t guaranteed a seat at all. But it certainly gives you a good clue. (In case you're not aware, to see this list, in your itinerary in the app, tap on "Upgrade/standby list." Then tap on "standby list.")
  4. Don’t get frustrated by missed opportunities. There will be times you do everything right, but the gate agent doesn’t select you for the bump. For example, maybe they need to bump two people and even though you volunteered first, the next two people who volunteered were a couple and so the gate agent went with them instead of you. Gate agents can choose whomever they want to bump off a flight and sometimes it won’t be you. You can’t completely control the process and that’s OK. And of course, there will be those times you get a sweet offer, but then 10 people don’t check in or miss their connection and so they don’t need you. That’s also OK—don’t give up!
  5. Always, always, always, always be polite to the gate agent! Remember I just said they can use any criteria they want when selecting whom they bump. You can be firm in your asking price while being polite—these are not mutually exclusive!
Now for the specific advice…

Step 1: Get on the bumping list during the check in process.

If a flight may be oversold, Delta will ask people as they check in on-line if they want to take a bump. This creates a list of people the gate agent can see at their podium. Some gate agents don’t use that list at all, but some do, so you want to be on that list. Here’s how to get on it:
  1. Check in at delta.com, NOT the app. You can’t get on the bumping list through the app; you must check in through the Delta website.

    a. Key point here: if you’ve already checked in on the app, it’s not enough to go to delta.com, log in, and check in through the delta.com homepage. That just shows you your boarding pass; it doesn’t actually take you through the check in process again, and you’ll never get the chance to get on the bumping list. Instead, you need to drill in to your itinerary details and check in through that page. That will re-initiate the check in process and may give you the opportunity to get on the bumping list.

    b. Keep following the app! You may not get a chance to get on the list at exactly 24 hours out, but you may see later on that there are more people looking for seats than there are seats available. If that happens, go back to delta.com and check in again! Just make sure to keep point a) above in mind.
  2. If you can’t get on the list by checking in a delta.com, you can still try to get on the list by checking in at a kiosk at the airport. Sometimes, a flight doesn’t become overbooked until much closer to the flight time, so the kiosk may allow you to get on the list while delta.com wouldn’t. I've even been known to go to a kiosk in the airside area to see if I could get on the list--this is especially effective if you're connecting. When you reach your connecting airport, if you're not on the list for the second flight, go to a kiosk in the connection airport and check in again.
Whether you get on the list by checking in at delta.com or a kiosk, it’ll ask you how much you would accept to take a different flight. The options shown will typically range from $200-$500, but you can type in any amount up to $800. I always put in $800. Only once (that I know of) have I had a gate agent use the list in order of cheapest bid to most expensive bid, but I’ve also had gate agents tell me there were giving me $800 because that’s what I bid.

Step 2: Talk to the gate agent early

Whether you get on the list or not, you want to talk to the gate agent in person as early as possible. They will know the exact status of how much the flight is oversold by. The gate agent should arrive at the gate 60 minutes before the flight for a domestic flight or 90 minutes for an international flight. I like to be at the gate 30 minutes before that, as sometimes gate agents arrive early. Some bumps are first come, first served, so as soon as they open up the gate, you want to be at the front of the line! Here’s how the conversation between me and the gate agent would typically go:

Gate agent (GA): “May I help you?”

Me: “Hi! I was wondering if this flight is oversold.”

GA: “Let me check.”

<types away furiously…>

GA Answer 1: “It is not.” If they say this, say thank you and move on.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, it is.”

Me: “May I volunteer to take a different flight?”

GA Answer 1: “I’ve got a list of people who are interested I’ll be choosing from.” In that case, I would ask them to confirm that I’m on the list. Or if somehow I couldn’t get on the list, I would ask them to put me on the list, but this had mixed success, which is why it's so important to get on the list while checking in.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, but I don’t know the details yet. What seat are you in? I’ll call you back up once I have backup flights.” If you get this answer, show them your seat, thank them, and then step away from the gate. They will call you back up.

GA Answer 3: “Yes, and here’s the backup flight and the amount of money I’m offering.” Negotiation time!

Step 3: Negotiations

If you get answer #3 , or you got answer #1 or 2 and they call you back up to the gate, then it becomes negotiation time! Every GA is different, but here are some general tips for negotiations:
  1. Ask how much the flight is oversold by. This will give you a clue how much leverage you have. If it’s oversold by just 1, you’re probably going to get the gate agent’s first offer, since they can always find someone else. If they’re oversold by 10, you’re much more likely to be able to increase the price.
  2. As a general rule, whatever they say, ask for $500 more. (An example conversation with a GA might look this. GA: “I’m offering $500 for this flight.” Me: “Can you offer $1000?”) You probably won’t get the extra $500, but it could get the gate agent to increase their offer by at least $100. And some GAs won’t budge at all. Worst they do is say no. They won't take you off the bumping list or think less of you because you asked for more money.
  3. If you were confirmed in first class on the original flight, make sure to confirm you’ll be in first class on the backup flight. If you were in coach on the original flight, ask if they can confirm in you in first on the backup flight. Worst they do is say no. (See a pattern here? You don’t get what you don’t ask for!)
  4. If it’s an overnight bump, make sure to explicitly ask about a hotel. Sometimes, they’ll assume you’re local and not offer one unless you ask.
  5. Finally, if the flight is oversold by a lot, make sure to get the GA to confirm they’ll give you whatever they give the last person who agrees to take the bump. Sometimes, they need to up the offer to get more people to agree to the bump. They should give you and everybody that maximum amount they offered, but it doesn’t hurt to be explicit about it.
Special note here: say a flight is oversold by 14 and your minimum is $800 since the backup flight is the next day. They offer $400, and it seems no one is taking it. Should you wait for the offer to get to $800 before taking the bump?

Answer: absolutely not!! Get on the list at $400. Remember that last point about how everyone will get the same compensation whether they bid first or last. However, while the flight is oversold by 14, maybe they only actually need 10 people because 4 people don’t end up showing up. If that’s the case, the gate agent will go in the order people volunteered, so the people who volunteered last won’t get bumped and the people who volunteered when the offer was $400 will get the bump but still get the full amount offered at the very end.

Step 4: The waiting game

This can be the hardest part of all. Once you’re done with the negotiations, there is nothing more you can do except go back to your seat and cross your fingers. The days of Delta giving you the voucher immediately after the conversation above are long gone. Instead, you have to wait to see if everyone actually shows up. So don't go rearranging your plans in your destination city yet! Sometimes, they’ll know early in the boarding process they won’t need your seat and they’ll tell you to board. Sometimes, you won’t know until just before the door closes if they’ll need your seat. There’s literally nothing you can do except wait for the GA’s instructions. Pestering them while boarding is going on won’t help, so don’t do it. Just have patience.

Conclusion

There they are—most, if not all, of the tips I’ve learned in the last 15 months of getting bumped. Any feedback is welcome. Best of luck out there!
Great post. As a long time Delta 2MM flyer with 30 years of flying Delta with many bump experiences, I learned a few new things about the latest bump process. Thanks for the info.
FOOLISHRUNNER is offline  
Old Dec 4, 2018, 7:46 pm
  #1730  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: DL FO
Posts: 668
Originally Posted by LoganFlyer
After discussing with 3Cforme, we've agreed that the post below, which I originally made as a separate thread, would be best done as a post here to keep all the discussion about bumping in one place. I've added a link to this post and a concise version in the Wiki for this thread in case people find it helpful.
-------
I've been lucky enough to get a whole bunch of bumps over the last 15 months amounting to $5800 in total compensation, and I've developed a strategy to maximize my chances. This is long, but hopefully these tips will help you out!

General tips:
  1. BE PROACTIVE. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you just show up at the gate and wait for them to solicit volunteers, you will lose out on many bumping opportunities.
  2. Be flexible in your schedule if possible. The next available flight to your destination might not be for several hours or even the next day. Luckily, I had a job where I had to show up at 8 AM on a given day, which meant I could fly to that city any time the day before. I would often take an early flight (think 6-7 AM) knowing that if I got bumped, I would still make it to my destination with time to spare. But if you have no flexibility in your schedule, you won’t be able to take the bumps.
  3. The app is your best friend for figuring out if a flight is oversold within 24 hours of the flight. If you look at the standby list for your flight, it’ll show you how many seats are left and how many people have checked in but are waiting for a seat. Once there are more people looking for a seat than there are seats on the plane, it may be bump time! This isn’t perfect—some of those people may be non-revs who aren’t guaranteed a seat at all. But it certainly gives you a good clue. (In case you're not aware, to see this list, in your itinerary in the app, tap on "Upgrade/standby list." Then tap on "standby list.")
  4. Don’t get frustrated by missed opportunities. There will be times you do everything right, but the gate agent doesn’t select you for the bump. For example, maybe they need to bump two people and even though you volunteered first, the next two people who volunteered were a couple and so the gate agent went with them instead of you. Gate agents can choose whomever they want to bump off a flight and sometimes it won’t be you. You can’t completely control the process and that’s OK. And of course, there will be those times you get a sweet offer, but then 10 people don’t check in or miss their connection and so they don’t need you. That’s also OK—don’t give up!
  5. Always, always, always, always be polite to the gate agent! Remember I just said they can use any criteria they want when selecting whom they bump. You can be firm in your asking price while being polite—these are not mutually exclusive!
Now for the specific advice…

Step 1: Get on the bumping list during the check in process.

If a flight may be oversold, Delta will ask people as they check in on-line if they want to take a bump. This creates a list of people the gate agent can see at their podium. Some gate agents don’t use that list at all, but some do, so you want to be on that list. Here’s how to get on it:
  1. Check in at delta.com, NOT the app. You can’t get on the bumping list through the app; you must check in through the Delta website.

    a. Key point here: if you’ve already checked in on the app, it’s not enough to go to delta.com, log in, and check in through the delta.com homepage. That just shows you your boarding pass; it doesn’t actually take you through the check in process again, and you’ll never get the chance to get on the bumping list. Instead, you need to drill in to your itinerary details and check in through that page. That will re-initiate the check in process and may give you the opportunity to get on the bumping list.

    b. Keep following the app! You may not get a chance to get on the list at exactly 24 hours out, but you may see later on that there are more people looking for seats than there are seats available. If that happens, go back to delta.com and check in again! Just make sure to keep point a) above in mind.
  2. If you can’t get on the list by checking in a delta.com, you can still try to get on the list by checking in at a kiosk at the airport. Sometimes, a flight doesn’t become overbooked until much closer to the flight time, so the kiosk may allow you to get on the list while delta.com wouldn’t. I've even been known to go to a kiosk in the airside area to see if I could get on the list--this is especially effective if you're connecting. When you reach your connecting airport, if you're not on the list for the second flight, go to a kiosk in the connection airport and check in again.
Whether you get on the list by checking in at delta.com or a kiosk, it’ll ask you how much you would accept to take a different flight. The options shown will typically range from $200-$500, but you can type in any amount up to $800. I always put in $800. Only once (that I know of) have I had a gate agent use the list in order of cheapest bid to most expensive bid, but I’ve also had gate agents tell me there were giving me $800 because that’s what I bid.

Step 2: Talk to the gate agent early

Whether you get on the list or not, you want to talk to the gate agent in person as early as possible. They will know the exact status of how much the flight is oversold by. The gate agent should arrive at the gate 60 minutes before the flight for a domestic flight or 90 minutes for an international flight. I like to be at the gate 30 minutes before that, as sometimes gate agents arrive early. Some bumps are first come, first served, so as soon as they open up the gate, you want to be at the front of the line! Here’s how the conversation between me and the gate agent would typically go:

Gate agent (GA): “May I help you?”

Me: “Hi! I was wondering if this flight is oversold.”

GA: “Let me check.”

<types away furiously…>

GA Answer 1: “It is not.” If they say this, say thank you and move on.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, it is.”

Me: “May I volunteer to take a different flight?”

GA Answer 1: “I’ve got a list of people who are interested I’ll be choosing from.” In that case, I would ask them to confirm that I’m on the list. Or if somehow I couldn’t get on the list, I would ask them to put me on the list, but this had mixed success, which is why it's so important to get on the list while checking in.

GA Answer 2: “Yes, but I don’t know the details yet. What seat are you in? I’ll call you back up once I have backup flights.” If you get this answer, show them your seat, thank them, and then step away from the gate. They will call you back up.

GA Answer 3: “Yes, and here’s the backup flight and the amount of money I’m offering.” Negotiation time!

Step 3: Negotiations

If you get answer #3 , or you got answer #1 or 2 and they call you back up to the gate, then it becomes negotiation time! Every GA is different, but here are some general tips for negotiations:
  1. Ask how much the flight is oversold by. This will give you a clue how much leverage you have. If it’s oversold by just 1, you’re probably going to get the gate agent’s first offer, since they can always find someone else. If they’re oversold by 10, you’re much more likely to be able to increase the price.
  2. As a general rule, whatever they say, ask for $500 more. (An example conversation with a GA might look this. GA: “I’m offering $500 for this flight.” Me: “Can you offer $1000?”) You probably won’t get the extra $500, but it could get the gate agent to increase their offer by at least $100. And some GAs won’t budge at all. Worst they do is say no. They won't take you off the bumping list or think less of you because you asked for more money.
  3. If you were confirmed in first class on the original flight, make sure to confirm you’ll be in first class on the backup flight. If you were in coach on the original flight, ask if they can confirm in you in first on the backup flight. Worst they do is say no. (See a pattern here? You don’t get what you don’t ask for!)
  4. If it’s an overnight bump, make sure to explicitly ask about a hotel. Sometimes, they’ll assume you’re local and not offer one unless you ask.
  5. Finally, if the flight is oversold by a lot, make sure to get the GA to confirm they’ll give you whatever they give the last person who agrees to take the bump. Sometimes, they need to up the offer to get more people to agree to the bump. They should give you and everybody that maximum amount they offered, but it doesn’t hurt to be explicit about it.
Special note here: say a flight is oversold by 14 and your minimum is $800 since the backup flight is the next day. They offer $400, and it seems no one is taking it. Should you wait for the offer to get to $800 before taking the bump?

Answer: absolutely not!! Get on the list at $400. Remember that last point about how everyone will get the same compensation whether they bid first or last. However, while the flight is oversold by 14, maybe they only actually need 10 people because 4 people don’t end up showing up. If that’s the case, the gate agent will go in the order people volunteered, so the people who volunteered last won’t get bumped and the people who volunteered when the offer was $400 will get the bump but still get the full amount offered at the very end.

Step 4: The waiting game

This can be the hardest part of all. Once you’re done with the negotiations, there is nothing more you can do except go back to your seat and cross your fingers. The days of Delta giving you the voucher immediately after the conversation above are long gone. Instead, you have to wait to see if everyone actually shows up. So don't go rearranging your plans in your destination city yet! Sometimes, they’ll know early in the boarding process they won’t need your seat and they’ll tell you to board. Sometimes, you won’t know until just before the door closes if they’ll need your seat. There’s literally nothing you can do except wait for the GA’s instructions. Pestering them while boarding is going on won’t help, so don’t do it. Just have patience.

Conclusion

There they are—most, if not all, of the tips I’ve learned in the last 15 months of getting bumped. Any feedback is welcome. Best of luck out there!
Excellent tips! I would also add to step 4 in the negotiations process: if you are local, ask about a round trip cab/car service voucher as they can provide these as well.
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Old Dec 5, 2018, 5:00 am
  #1731  
 
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@LoganFlyer ... you and I think alike! Excellent post.

Being successful consistently at VDB requires persistence AND patience, as well as aptitude. Be ready when it comes to assessing the situation with a GA - know the options (routings, your flexibility, the amount of risk you are willing to take) before approaching the podium, and you will come out a winner more often than not.

Good read, great post, and this definitely reaffirms my scruples that I typically follow.
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 6:30 am
  #1732  
 
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Last night’s flight CUN-SLC was cancelled/rescheduled due to the inbound being diverted because of weather then went down due to a mechanical issue. They put us up at a hotel and rescheduled us for this morning. They are offering us $100 for the issues... anyone else have experience with this? It feels like $100 is not enough for an almost 18 hour delay. What would be reasonable to ask for?
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 7:28 am
  #1733  
 
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edited out by Mod 3Cforme: jmgriffin copies loganflyer's VDB negotiation guidelines

Well done! Shouldn't we put this in the Wiki?

Last edited by 3Cforme; Dec 10, 2018 at 7:42 am Reason: brevity
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 7:33 am
  #1734  
 
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Originally Posted by jmgriffin
Well done! Shouldn't we put this in the Wiki?
Thanks! The Wiki has a condensed version of the post and a link to the whole thing.The reason I didn't put the whole post in the Wiki is that it's too long. Call it a pet peeve, but I don't like it when I click on "see more" in a Wiki post only to have the web page explode in length.

Last edited by LoganFlyer; Dec 16, 2018 at 4:03 am
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 8:51 am
  #1735  
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Originally Posted by Fes426
Last night’s flight CUN-SLC was cancelled/rescheduled due to the inbound being diverted because of weather then went down due to a mechanical issue. They put us up at a hotel and rescheduled us for this morning. They are offering us $100 for the issues... anyone else have experience with this? It feels like $100 is not enough for an almost 18 hour delay. What would be reasonable to ask for?
You should probably ask a Mod to move your post to an appropriate thread on DL's customer service gestures practices as there is a wealth of information out there. This thread is about payments by DL to convince passengers to be voluntarily offloaded. Yours is about what one gets for a delay.

As a general proposition, and it is certainly true for a departure from Mexico, DL has no obligation to pay any compensation. Rather, it is contractually obligated to provide or reimburse a hotel (although even that language is tricky). DL should also have provided meal vouchers or reimburse reasonably properly-receipted meal expenses.

In addition, a customer service gesture is entirely in DL's discretion and is generally linked roughly to the length of the delay, the length of the flight, your status, and class of service. If you think that $100 is too little, you can complain, but expect nothing. Many travel insurance policies will provide a set amount for a delay of this length and you should likely make your claim there.
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 9:04 am
  #1736  
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Originally Posted by Often1
You should probably ask a Mod to move your post to an appropriate thread on DL's customer service gestures practices as there is a wealth of information out there. This thread is about payments by DL to convince passengers to be voluntarily offloaded. Yours is about what one gets for a delay.
I see this suggestion but I don't know if there's a Mod tool to move a single posting. Let me point Fes426 to this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delt...on-thread.html
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Old Dec 10, 2018, 11:03 am
  #1737  
 
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Originally Posted by 3Cforme
I see this suggestion but I don't know if there's a Mod tool to move a single posting. Let me point Fes426 to this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delt...on-thread.html
Sounds good, sorry for posting on the wrong forum. I’ll read that thread
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 5:14 am
  #1738  
 
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ORD-ATL

Just picked up a $500 gift card on the Friday 12/21 morning flight ORD to ATL. They were over by 4, it is the first time in a while they gave me the voucher 1 hour prior to departure, which was nice since I was able to get on a flight leaving 10 mins later thru MSP and getting home only 40 minutes later. The delta agent was great and even confirmed me in first all the way home.

Merry Christmas!
CMK10, jjmoore, hi55us and 2 others like this.
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Old Dec 26, 2018, 8:55 pm
  #1739  
 
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MSP-MCI was oversold by 3, a few days before christmas. $500 offer. Next flight was 4 hours later.
On the later flight, they might have done something to give me upgrade priority - I was pretty far down the list on my initial flight but was #2 and got an upgrade on the rebooked flight

On the flight I ultimately took, they initially thought they were oversold and offered $600 for a later MSP-MSI flight, some 6 hours later. They ended up not needing anyone.
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 10:39 am
  #1740  
 
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My last flight of the year yesterday made it official. I never got a VDB voucher in 2018, with four near misses. Here's hoping 2019 is better; I got used to not paying for my own flights!
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