a golf channel reporter scored $5000 today. no idea of routing; this was posted to his public insta story.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...45be61b89.jpeg

ETA: he and his entire family received certs for $5000 ($25k total).

That is a terrible font. :eek:

Any strategies when making a bid at check-in via website or app? Or just bid as low as you can in hopes of being selected?

Last week, on UA 1 SFO-SIN United offered $3000 and a business class seat on the next morning UA29 flight to two people in business class. I thought the offer was paltry and was waiting for the amount to go up, but more than 2 people volunteered. $5K would have swayed me.

$3000 for a 10 hour delay is not a bad deal... J seats maintained... I would have hoped all over that offer given I have the time.

Hello, I've never done this VDB before, and I was wondering how it works. My app offers me to bid on VDB for my SFO-LHR flight 930 tonight. The alternative routings were not detailed, but I cross-checked with the departure/arrival times and worked out what flights the alternatives were (2 options via EWR, one via IAD). However, I noticed in the flight status for at least one of the alternative flights, it's showing full both classes. So if you volunteer to take a later flight, and it happens to be already sold-out, do they guarantee you a seat or is it on a standby basis only (so you might arrive even later that you thought) and can you possibly be involuntarily bumped from the alternative as well? I don't mind arriving a day late, but I don't want to arrive two days late. Thanks.

You'd be confirmed on the alternate flight.

It's possible that you could end up with an involuntary bump after first accepting a voluntary bump, but it would be extremely unusual. Generally, they try not to bump anyone involuntarily in the first place. The chance of being VDB'ed onto a flight that then became oversold enough to require an IDB is very slim.

Also, what's going to happen is that if they actually need volunteers, they will confirm the alternate flight details with you prior to changing your flight. If you're worried about the alternate flight being oversold, ask them about it. :)

First IDBs (involuntary DB) are very rare and if the second flight is oversold, it will most likely to handle with someone taking a VDB offer.

But back to today, the request for a bid does not guarantee there will be VDB offers. It does mean things are close and there may be a chance. Still being in the Spring Break season is one of the better times for VDB but most flights will not need any VDBs. If you are lucky and get offered VDB, you first should make sure you understand the alternative flights the GA is offering and any other conditions, your negotiating power is greatest before you take the offer.

Thanks for the information! That's reassuring that I won't get stranded in some connecting city for days. It's also odd, every 10 minutes when I check the app, they keep completely changing the alternate flights being offered! It's all very confusing. I should just get another hobby or watch the sunset or something instead.

yeap, Spring Break / Thanksgiving / XMAS ....create craziness with aircraft loads and add in a little irrops and you will understand why the GA are typing away crazily trying to get everyone home.

Best no to worry about the options until you actually get a GA offer.

Well, I went up to the counter and put my name forward - they were 'only' offering 2000 (the agent said making a sad face, guess people wanted more), even though I asked for 1000 in the app. The guy next to me with the other agent was fighting over my 20A seat I would vacate. I hope they don't give my seat away before they decide to VDB me.

Edited to update:
Thanks to a couple of reluctant volunteers, they're giving us all 3k. I'm surprised there weren't more takers. By the time most people had boarded, they were still trying to tempt every straggler going through with 2000 without success. I guess the supervisor upped the ante at the end. The agent said they still required several IDB's in spite of that. I asked for a upgrade, but she said no (although the app is now trying to sell me one for $729). She did give me the only aisle left on the nonstop, which was in E+. She said to me, 'You know how this works, you've done this before right?', so I said 'No, it's my first time!' I think all the pre-reading I did on this forum helped a lot with knowing what to expect, thanks to all the contributors.

Edited to also add: They also gave those of us traveling tomorrow (one couple opted to go via EWR tonight) a hotel and 3x$20 food vouchers. When I had asked before, she said, 'yes, of course', so it seemed automatic for them to include it. It's funny, but the app is asking for volunteers for the rescheduled flight tomorrow. I told the agent I should just keep repeating this process. She said that she knew of one person who successfully repeated VDB some days in a row in Singapore. He lived there anyway, and I guess his travel wasn't urgent.

They will only off load you after you have agreed to VDB's terms. If they need more than one volunteer, highest bid applies to all. Please come back and let us know what you end up with.

While that's how it's supposed to work there are plenty of threads on FT about pax who were removed from the flight only to find out they didn't need his/her seat and then put back on the flight in a completely different (and usually far worse) seat. There are also reports of people getting 'screwed' on the negotiated comp like lower VDB vouchers, no hotels, etc. But 90%+ of the bumps do go according to plan.

Congrats to OP who made $3K, a hotel and $60 in food. Well done. And you can probably do it all over again today as the flights look overbooked again.

-RM

+1 You will always get rebooked into confirmable space. You cannot do standby VDB (yes I've asked LOL).

However, I should think it's possible to be rebooked onto overbooked flights (Full/Full) if there is still inventory. But that generally just passes the buck so I believe it's rare.