johna

In the past, $300 has always been United's highest initial offer for domestic voluntary bumps (subject to increase according to need, of course). They used a schedule based on how much later you'd get to your destination:
$100 for up to 1 hour 59 minutes
$200 for up to 2 hour 59 minutes
$300 for 3 hour delay and above.

This past week my parents volunteered twice, and each time the initial offer was $400.

Does anybody know if this represents a change? And has the compensation for shorter delays changed as well?

I suppose it makes sense, given the increase in airfares. Even though United no longer gives a "free roundtrip ticket," $300 no longer goes as far towards purchasing a ticket, which is how I suspect the public still looks at the compensation (as opposed to my view that, hey, $300 is still $300! ).

tom911

The $400 voucher I received this summer was for an overnight delay on Dulles-Atlanta, and was the initial offer. This was a flight that had weight limitations due to storms en route, and they had to deplane about 20 people.

The $300 voucher I received was for a 2 hour delay and was also the initial offer. Instead of flying out BWI-SFO at 0700, I was cabbed over to Dulles and flew out at 0900.

johna

It's important to keep in mind that the length of the delay is based on when you'll arrive at your destination, not how much later you leave your departure.

A year ago I bumped from a non-stop to a one-stop leaving 1½ hours later. The gate agent comped me $100 based on less than two hour delay, but when I wrote to United questioning it they agreed that my arrival was 2½ hours later due to the stop (at which I bumped again, but that doesn't matter!), and sent a second $100 voucher for $200 total. They even wrote in the cover letter authorizing me to combine the two vouchers (normally not allowed) since it should have been $200 in the first place.

[This message has been edited by johna (edited 10-07-2000).]

seawolf

Two Sundays ago, the gate next to mine were offering $600 for staying overnight in ORD due to overbooking of their ORD-SFO flight.

GeorgeJ

Johnna,

Last year I received $200 for a United Express bump from SAN-LAX. Don't recall if I was 1/2 or 1 hour late (they now have flights every 1/2 hour but it may have been every hour a year ago)...but it was a maximum of 1 hour at $200 so that was double of what you had charted for up to 2 hours delay..It was a great deal for that short of a delay; two of us grabbed it..I only received $100 more for a delay about 3 hours from ORD-SAN; it involved doing an ORD-SFO, SFO-SAN route instead of the non-stop I had booked. They took 20+ volunteers. Had also offered us lunch but we didn't get it, and by the time they had processed us all, we had to RUN 10 minutes to the SFO aircraft gate to make it.

doc

Unless I'm mistaken (outside chance it was AA), I was once offered $1000 to be bumped out of ORD-JFK! Sadly I had just come in from Europe ealier that same day and absolutely had to be back east that day - so I could not accept the generous offer!

ncorman

I got $600 once, BHM-ORD. It was spring break for all BHM schools and it was overbooked on the Friday. I spent the weekend instead. The following week I bumped again for $400, from ORD-BHM on the Sunday night. I guess they all had to get home for school.

dw

The last time I remember an offer of $400 was when the last flight out of PVD was oversold, and they needed volunteers to take a (complimentary) 1 hr bus ride to BOS.

1K-SFO

The offer last night for UA/148-- SFO-ORD, leaving 5:50pm--was $600 and a seat on the red-eye, leaving at 11pm or something. That was the most I've seen in a while-- but taking the red-eye is a considerable request. I'd have done it but wanted to have somewhat of a good night's sleep before the work week. I'll regret that later in the year when it's time to buy a vacation ticket...

1K-SFO

I amend myself.... that $600 is the most I've seen recently on a DOMESTIC ticket--- some of the deals getting bumped out of LHR or CDG in the summer time are unreal-- much more the $600, and usually involving an upgrade...

johna

Sorry - I should have been clear I was talking about United's initial offer, on domestic flights.

If the gate agent doesn't get enough takers using UA's basic compensation schedule (which does seem to have increased from $300 to $400), they'll often "up the ante." Depending on how oversold they are, how long a delay, how much the basic tickets cost (which affects the cost of involuntary bumps), and the phase of the moon ...the sky could be the limit, as shown by some of the examples here.

rmccamy

For three consecutive years, I spent the Friday of the Big 12 hoops tourney (played in Kansas City) at ORD taking bumps off of American flights to MCI. The noon flight would usually net me $500, the 3PM and the 7PM flights would fetch about $300 each. Then, I'd fly out at 10PM.

The initial offer was usually $200 or $300, but with an MD-80 oversold to the max, it usually escalated.

Considering that I'm a Big Ten fan, three years of $1000-1200 in vouchers was well worth it. The vouchers back then were pretty flexible - combinable, transferable, and valid for international flights. (Sounds like these UAL ones aren't as flexible.)

Two years ago American tweaked their policy a bit: they offered the big money for the noon flight bump, but would only confirm you on the last flight out at 10PM. (Earlier standby permitted, as if it would do any good.)

transpac

$600 (travel voucher) offered 7 Oct 2000 BOS-LHR