Joys of air travel...

I fly quite a bit, though not as much as I used to. As often as I find myself on planes, I’m still occasionally surprised. This scenario played out a few days ago.

I was in the southern US & flying through ATL to get back home. My final leg was scheduled to land a little after midnight. The gate agent announced an overbook situation, and they were offering $800 cash to travelers willing to take a later flight. I’ve done it before, and the airlines usually make it pretty easy. Despite the fact that I had a layover, I figured I was getting in late anyway so, sure, I volunteered and boarded a different flight two hours later.

Well… while I was inbound to ATL, something happened to the connecting flight I would have been on, and it got delayed 4-1/2 hours… resulting in 60+ people from that flight waiting on standby to get on the plane I ended up on. When I boarded, those people were still in ATL and their flight was scheduled to leave after midnight.

So… I got paid $800 to get home at least three hours earlier than I would have if I hadn’t volunteered. It’s rare that stuff works out in my favor. The last time I took the payout, I bought the ZJ steering upgrade parts and some lights for the garage. This time, it’s going towards music gear.

AI generated highlights of laws most people aren't aware of.

Key U.S. Flight Protections

• • Automatic Cash Refunds: Under DOT rules, you receive an automatic cash refund if your domestic flight is delayed by 3+ hours or international flight by 6+ hours and you choose not to travel. [1]
  • Oversold Flights (Bumping): If you are involuntarily denied boarding on an oversold flight, airlines must pay cash compensation up to $2,150 depending on the length of your arrival delay. [1]
  • Tarmac Delays: On domestic flights, airlines must let passengers off the plane after 3 hours of sitting on the tarmac (4 hours for international), and provide food, water, and working restrooms after 2 hours

The only time I don't dread flying is when I'm on business travel. The company I work for flies so much that I will never end up being bumped. But it does kind of kind of suck being paid, getting boarding preference, and watching a young family getting fucked out of a vacation day. Giving up my seat won't get a young couple and two kida onboard though.

We’ve learned to confirm our flight exactly 24 hrs before departure and have not been bumped yet. Been offered cash to rebook but circumstances have not allowed us to take advantage of it. We’ve missed flights due to delays on the first leg of a flight but have found that being nice to the rebooking agents at the airport has gotten on the next available flight with little delay. I’ve seen people yelling at the agents but we calmly ask “What do We need to do to get to our destination?”. If we are doing a cruise we always fly a day or two before which has saved us before.

My travel is almost all for work. I'm not disrupting a personal trip for a couple bucks, unless the whole family is on board with it. Solo work travel, though... I'll take some money in my pocket for a later flight.

I think I've taken the cash payout... four times, maybe? You can get gift cards, prepaid credit cards, etc. Usually what I do when they start announcing it is 1) be the first person to volunteer, and 2) name my price. If you're the 4th person in line (or whatever), you're in limbo until the plane is boarded. The three people ahead of you might have already gotten their confirmation and are on the way to another gate. You might get stuck boarding your original plane, and not in the seat you originally had.

Earlier this year the airline I was flying was offering, I think, $400 for people willing to change. I went up and said, "if you get to $800, I'm your guy." I ended up with an extra $800 in my pocket. But keep in mind, if you do that... you might end up being down the line if three other people take $600.

I'm sure the airlines have instructed their agents with that $2,150 in mind that they may have to cough up if they have to bump someone.