I took advantage of my first voluntary denied boarding (VDB) situation in years on United Airlines over the weekend, netting me $1,500 in travel credit and bringing back very happy memories of my travels on United as a youth.
My Latest VDB Bump On United Airlines In SFO
I was flying from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD) and booked on my favorite flight of the day, operated by a gaining but very comfortable 777-200 in business class. Unfortunately, the 777 has been pulled from redeye service this summer on this route, but it does operate once daily in the afternoon and I was booked in business class in a window seat…a necessity for an overnight flight, but a nice treat for a daytime flight.
I enjoyed a larger lunch than expected at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (which has Mexican food this month, you know me…) and showed up to board at 2:00 pm just in time to hear a gate agent say, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are seeking five volunteers to take a later flight to Chicago in exchange for a $1,500 voucher.”
My eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and I approached the gate agent and said I’d be happy to give up my seat. She thanked me and told me to sit tight and wait for the flight to board. Only then would they know if they needed my seat. Why? Because the flight must have been oversold by five but you can always count on no-shows or misconnects, which is why flights are oversold in the first place.
United’s booking algorithms have become much smarter over the years and so I’ve seen very few oversell situations of late…the system is just better at predicting no-shows and booking just enough. This was a very unexpected situation for me.
But sometimes every one shows up…and here everyone showed up. It felt like my weekend mileage runs between Philadelphia and LA back when I was in law school where I’d routinely get bumped at SFO.
All five volunteers were needed and I was gleeful when my name was called and the gate agent said, “We are going to need your seat.”
As much as I hated giving up a lie-flat seat, it was a four-hour flight and the $1,500 in travel credit will help underwrite future travel in a way I value more than than the lie-flat seat on this flight.
I was rebooked on another (same-day) flight to Chicago in first class (though on a Boeing 757-300, so from one of United’s most comfortable domestic premium seats to one of its most uncomfortable) but I had to get there so I could get right back home to LA…I didn’t have a day to waste waiting for another 777 or routing via Newark to get a better product.
I realize I’m not a kid any longer and my time is worth more than it was in the past…but four hours for $1,500? Theoretically even if I could bill for more than that, it was a Saturday afternoon and I just retreated to the Air Canada lounge where I worked for a few more hours in comfort before boarding the flight.
The past few summers I’ve made the deliberate decision to suspend most travel…after all, airfares are high and airports are crowded. This summer, however, has been the total opposite and I guess one advantage is that more flights are oversold.
To those like me who love VDB situations, I say happy hunting!
They must have been doing this all weekend with SFO. I got $1000 to take an hour later flight from San Diego (booked in economy). I’ll take it every day.
Can you demand cash instead of a travel voucher and they have to give it to you?
I’ve been an EXP at AA since 2015, and from 2010 to 2015 I was a 1K. In all that flying, I have had exacctly 1 VDB situation. I’d happily take more, but I never ever seem them arise.
You can demand cash if its an Involuntary Denied Boarding situation as in you’re a confirmed passenger and not allowed on the plane, but Volunteering is giving up the cash compensation.
This happened to me on AA in SBN just before COVID, the gate agents did a few feeble attempts for volunteers (offering like $200) and since I had waited to check in for Basic Economy tickets, a strategy on American that in the past let to exit rows and seats together with my partner at the time, we didn’t have seats and were Involuntary Denied Boarding.
The agents first tried to give us like $600 in vouches I said no I know our rights, give us cash and we each got checks (sent my mail, no one on duty knew how to operate the Airport’s check imprinting machine) for slightly less than that amount. So happy I said a check since COVID came a few months later and we didn’t fly for over a year. I did file a DOT complaint basically saying that the agents needed to tell us our rights to cash first and a third IDB person only asked for cash after I pushed for it.
I’m very happy to receive travel credit – I’ll certainly spend more than $1,500 on United travel in the months ahead.
Is it legitimate to demand physical cold hard cash instead of a cheque?
So, you didn’t wanna push it higher, eh? $1,500 is nice, but, we know they can go higher, thanks to Dr. Dao!
She told me when processing my travel credit that she had gone up from $1K to $1.5K when she didn’t get any takers. Good thing I arrived at the gate late!
For a domestic flight, 1.5K USD seems pretty good to me (and I’ve received much more for US carrier IDBs on TATL). If you’d held out for more, someone else might have taken it. Since everyone likes to compare to the EU, I note that I’ve never seen an IDB in the EU or UK that paid more than the approximately 650 USD EU/UK 261 amount plus food and accommodation (which does not require any additional compensation for IDB). Of course, they are better about not letting you board if you are being IDB’d, avoiding the Dao situation. Has anyone seen that? (On the positive side, that 650 USD is just about the cost of an F upgrade from Club World on BA, giving you the First wing and CCR, so not too bad.)
How did you have access to the Air Canada lounge – are you Star Alliance Gold?
Yes, I’m UA MMer.
But even without it, you can access AC and AI lounges when flying in business class without status.
With all due respect the travel vouchers are for suckers. Now you being a travle blogger will sure know how to maximize its use. But for general public would encourage them to insist on cash or cash equivalents like Visa/MC Gift cards.
I agree, you have to insist on cash or Visa credit; sometimes, theres too much fine print, limitations on a voucher; cash is best option as a MMiler.
I dont find those 757-300 seats to be all that uncomfortable… just no screens. But you cant beat not having the entire plane filing past you during boarding
$1500 for 4 hours, that’s the type money I used to make! Luckily for you it wasn’t what I had to do to earn it.
Good hit!
i am so sick of you, you miserable creature
you’re just begging for attention, like butternut squash
And your namesake was the worst Mayor in the history of the United States. He was a token black in a position he was never qualified for.
Now go watch one of my Chaos Men films clown.
You dunce, you are a trump supporter. You dont have to look any further than that for bad politicians.
tom bradley would have handled iran better than trump
tump on iran is a diagrace to monkeys
there is no such thing as a “token” when one is elected, that’s called democracy something your idol wants to erase.
a token is only when a cabinet member/judge/personality is appointed without an election to serve a purpose
finally your MAGA idiots constantly knock LA, SFO, NY and claim that red states are more business friendly, however you fail to notice (due to the fact that education is very low among MAGAS) that all innovation originated in democrat cities, even when austin was given the chance they fizzledd real quick
however i do agree that cotton picking is booming in the south
can u remind me what they would have done to a rat like u in the south?
Try the espresso martini in the Air Canada lounge your next visit
I love that lounge and I love Paul at the bar. He knows my drink of choice is the Last Word. Try it if you haven’t. The mezcal Negroni is also nice.
If you like a Last Word, you may enjoy a Widow’s Kiss. I’m also partial to a Burnt Fuselage, but it’s not a drink I’d order in an airport lounge.
Matthew, if you please, why do you write “… business class in a window seat…a necessity for an overnight flight, but a nice treat for a daytime flight.”? Thank you.
All’s well that ends well!
Thanks for the data point – good to know that there can still be significant payoffs. I got an offer in the app on the weekend, and the pre-determined options stopped at $550, so I chose the custom selection. I was actually going to put in $1,500 but finally decided to “go for it” with $2,000 because it involved an overnight. I was wondering if that was realistic, but based on your story it clearly is, as you got $1,500 for a same-day inconvenience.
The offers in the app don’t seem to be updated when the overbooking clears. I had logged in at the beginning of a 5 hour layover to see if there were other flights, and that is when they made the offer for volunteers. But immediately after putting in my offer, I checked availability, and both economy and first were showing as available (I think Expertflyer showed something like Y4). So I’m not sure why they were still soliciting volunteers.
My 5 hour layover ultimately became a 7.5 hour layover, but at least it was spent as comfortably as possible in the EWR Polaris lounge. (It was an excellent use of 20 Plus Points now that SFO-EWR is branded as Polaris!)
AGAIN, Matthew, if you please, why do you write “… business class in a window seat…a necessity for an overnight flight, but a nice treat for a daytime flight.”? Thank you.
“Enquiring minds want to know.”
Thanks again.
Kyle, DON’T think, even for a second, in your racist trolling imbecilic idiotic moronic stupid obviously uneducated (regardless of any degrees) tiny little mind, that there’s some great silent majority of which you’re a part of and who agrees with you. Regardless of the Kool-Aid and lies that MAGAs love, specifically regarding his current popularity, his poll numbers are the 2nd lowest of ANY POTUS, with only Nixon, immediately prior to resignation, being lower; not good company.
Kyle, here’s some free advice CLOWN, it’s far better to keep your mouth and keyboard silent and have people assume you are a fool than to speak or type and remove all doubts. We all know you’re too stupid to understand anything that follows but here’s a hint. To the majority of American’s, the most appropriate word for MAGA is “kakistocracy”.
MAGA and today’s fully enabling GOP (and SCOTUS) are wicked as well as morally, ethically, philosophically and ideologically bankrupt. Fascism, kakistocracy, oligarchy, plutocracy, totalitarianism, dictatorship, kleptocracy, authoritarianism, kraterocracy, banana republic, nepotocracy, racism, bigotry, evil; all are appropriate to MAGA, which is diametrically opposed to the Constitution and Rule of Law.
MAGA might work well in Russia or North Korea or Cuba, it should NOT be embraced in the USA. If it wasn’t for lies, deceit, hypocrisy, stupidity and racism, the GOP would never win another election in the USA.
Clinton was correct, except it’s “all” (not half) his supporters who are a basket of deplorables.
The MAGA demigod is a compulsive serial pathologic liar, flip-flopping, pathologic toxic narcissist, know-it-all, schizophrenic or psychopathic, arrogant, sanctimonious, psychological projecting, multiply convicted felon, serial sexual abuser, completely corrupt, grifter, imbecile, immature, infantile, stupid, ignorant, cheating (on all 3 wives), military service dodging, racist, conspiracy theory embracing, authoritarian, fascist, nasty, bully, incompetent, arrogant, with 50 years multiply documented proofs for every one of those allegations, devoid of morals and integrity and honesty and any redeeming qualities. Basically every BAD human personal and professional trait conceivable. It’s mind boggling that any rational intelligent psychologically healthy human being could support this waste of oxygen.
People in NY to whom he’s been exposed for 50 years know that best, why his support in NY is nonexistent and why he fled to Florida. The members of his administration only support him for power and fame, purely transactional, most of them years ago wrote or spoke in opposition to him. Every one of his policies, according to all objective criteria, are detrimental to the best interests of the country, he and his policies are fundamentally indefensible. If it wasn’t actually happening it would be unbelievable, a Hollywood script writer would be hard pressed to write a script as perverse and absurd as MAGA reality, truth is most definitely stranger than fiction.
HIS SUPPORTERS ARE EVEN MORE STUPID AND GULLIBLE AND RACIST THAN HE IS AND THEY PROVE WITH THEIR EVERY UTTERANCE TO BE THE ACTUAL DERANGED TDS VICTIMS. He said it himself after his first primary victory in 2016 “I love the poorly educated” which obviously applies to book smarts AND street smarts and all his ilk. It’s sad and unfortunate and pathetic that the rest of us have to suffer the consequences and repercussions of his supporters’ stupidity.
You mentioned that you were initially booked on “operated by a gaining but very comfortable 777-200 in business class”
What does that mean?
Aging.
Sorry to be redundant, 3rd time lucky. You wrote ”… booked in business class in a window seat…a necessity for an overnight flight, but a nice treat for a daytime flight.”
Is it BUSINESS CLASS or WINDOW SEAT that’s a necessity or a nice treat? Why so? Thank you.
I like a window seat on an overnight flight so that no one will disturb me if they have to get up. I consider it essential.
Thank you. Presumably a seat which is BOTH a window and and aisle is most preferred.
I had a similar experience today on a United flight from Dulles to Portland, Maine, about a 90 minute flight. They said they needed one volunteer. The offer was $600. No one approached the desk. I then looked to see if there was an available upcoming flight to Boston as there is an hourly bus from Logan to Portland. Just as I was about to approach the desk the gate agent announced a revised offer of $2,000. As I was near the desk, I was first in line. The agent called me back to the desk after all had boarded except me and I was reticketed for a flight two hours later, received a $2000 travel credit voucher and even a $15 meal voucher. Including the bus trip time, I got back to Portland exactly 4 hours later than my original arrival time. Both the original ticket and the new one were in economy in the first row of premium economy. But i note that the offer was made to all passengers regardless of airline status 0r price paid for the ticket.
Nicely done, Mike!