• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Airline Bumps » As United Increases VDB Compensation, Tips for Maximizing your Bump Chances
Airline Bumps

As United Increases VDB Compensation, Tips for Maximizing your Bump Chances

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 25, 2011 6 Comments

With new DOT rules soon coming into force, reports are surfacing that UA is increasing Volunteer Denied Boarding (VDB) compensation on domestic flights from the current $400 level to $650 (in travel credits). That makes bumps even more lucrative than before and will likely make them even more competitive in the future. Blogger Rick Ingersoll offered the following tips to a South Carolina newspaper on maximizing your chances for a bump that merit repeating:

1. Arrive at the gate one hour and 15 minutes before the flight is scheduled to leave, to either volunteer or confirm you are already first on the list.

2. Volunteer for all segments of your flight, including layovers, at the first ticket counter of the day. “United will let me do it,” he noted. “Other airlines may not. But it’s worth asking.”

3. Use carry-on luggage only. “Airline personnel do not want to have to hunt down your luggage,” he said. “If someone else with carry-on only volunteers, he or she is more likely to get the bump and the compensation.” Ingersoll says he’s even gotten his wife to travel anywhere and everywhere with nothing more than carry-on luggage “so we’re always ready to take advantage of a bump.”

4. If you’re traveling with more than one in your party, be willing to split up in case the airline only needs one volunteer.

5. Know your alternative routings so you can help the agent in the event the airline needs your seat. “Show them you are the easiest to deal with. Have available flight options that will work for you,” he said.

6. Never fully commit until you know which flight you will be confirmed on and the amount and type of compensation. “Don’t assume you’ll get the compensation just because you volunteer,” he said. “Make sure they’ll provide it first. And don’t forget to ask for an upgrade to first class as part of the compensation.”

7. Volunteer for every flight, every day that you fly. “Even if the seat maps show plenty of seats, you have no idea if a previous flight has been canceled, or if weight restrictions have been placed on the flight, meaning fewer people get to board,” he said. “I always check the seat counter and the airlines’ website’s seat map before going to the airport just to confirm my best prospects.”

Rick’s suggestions are all spot-on and are all steps that I follow when I am traveling by air. His tips above and my own experience is clustered around United Airlines, but the advice above can be applied to bump situations across the airline spectrum.

Lufthansa, for example, takes great pride in calculating loads correctly and often will hold off until the last possible minute to make requests for volunteers. By asking at the gate prior to departure, you have a better shot at scoring the bump. Always ask–even if the flight looks empty.

I’ve got a few flights coming up this week and look at it this way: one bump will almost pay for a trip from Frankfurt back to California. That’s huge. As airline ticket prices continue to increase, consider adding in a little more padding to your schedule to take advantage of what is becoming an increasingly lucrative opportunity.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Alaska Airlines Aircraft Evacuated After Toilet Paper Found…in Lavatory
Next Article Thoughts on the Failed Alitalia Hijacking Attempt

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • No More Bumps on United Airlines for Me

    August 30, 2012
  • Captain Denny Flanagan, a Bump, and Tri-Cabin First Class

    April 6, 2012
  • United Express Drama and VDBs at Washington Dulles

    February 18, 2012

6 Comments

  1. FriendlySkies Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 3:35 am

    If this really does happen, I will be extremely happy. Now if only I could get a VDB or two. I have volunteered on every flight that I can in 2011, and have not gotten any bumps. I could have gotten two, but that would have meant a seven hour wait at the DEN RCC.

  2. Nick Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 5:51 am

    If this turns out to be true, then I will seriously start scouting for flights. At these numbers one bump can easily fund two mileage runs, or two bumps to a business class international.

  3. Darren Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    @Nick: Agreed! I think it’s time to start booking CRJ mileage runs in July & August, where frequent requests for VDBs due to the heat/load require them to fly with empties.

  4. Nick Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 5:20 pm

    @Darren: Unfortunately the best chances for those are on the long torturous flights over 500 miles 🙁

  5. FriendlySkies Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    @Nick: Also look at the routes that use the EMB 120 during July and August 🙂

  6. Nick Reply
    April 25, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    @FriendlySkies: Unfortunately those routes really aren’t on my side of the country, so its a lot more work for me to get good fares on those routes from where I’m based 🙁

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Emirates Most Profitable Carrier
    Emirates Declares Itself World’s Most Profitable Airline May 8, 2025
  • VE Day
    The World They Died To Build: VE Day 80 Years Later May 8, 2025
  • a plate of food on a table
    American Airlines First Class Sliders Were Too Popular For Their Own Good May 8, 2025
  • American Airlines 787-9 Flagship Routes
    American Airlines Rolls Out Flagship Business Suites On 787-9: Here’s Where To Find Them May 7, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a room with a table and benches
    Where To Smoke At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) April 26, 2025
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Refresh Polaris Lounge Chicago
    First Look: United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago (ORD) April 29, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.