4 ms·

What's more interesting than the numbers is the linked article[1] about how Delta avoids problems by asking passengers on overbooked flights how much they'd wan

What's more interesting than the numbers is the linked article[1] about how Delta avoids problems by asking passengers on overbooked flights how much they'd want in order to give up their seat at check in time. By doing it early and without the other passengers around it eliminates possible bidding-up at the gate and lets them have a list of low cost bumps ready as soon as it's needed. [1] http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/how-delta-masters-the-game-of-overbooking-flights/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/how-delta-masters-t...

rdtsc 10y ago
Yeah I saw that. That's brilliant. First thing is getting people thinking about getting money, so they are already primed, fantasizing about it. Then the hint about "Delta will pick the lowest bid first". Those interested already are willing to play but now have to think of others outbidding them so they lower the bid. And lastly and most importantly, it lets people who never want to participate (such as well, doctors who have to be there for their patients) not participate.
- JumpCrisscross 10y ago
  I fly Delta. They've paid me over $1,000 in cash [1] to bump me off a $500 flight. I don't think United pays that much. Instead, they get aggressive. [1] American Express gift card
  - fastball 10y ago
    Actually, airlines in the US are mandated by USDOT to pay you 4x the ticket price or $1350 (whichever is lower) for a domestic delay >2hrs or an international delay >4hrs. If the bump delays you by <2hrs (generally unlikely), it's 2x ticket price or $650 (again, whichever is lower). You were probably entitled to $1350, so you really didn't do that great. That is also how much the United passenger is/was entitled to.
    - JumpCrisscross 10y ago
      Blows me away that American regulators decided to cap compensation in the event of denied boarding [1]. [1] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/18/08-1145/oversales-and-denied-boarding-compensation https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/18/08-1145...
    - flukus 10y ago
      Are they mandated to pay cash? I've heard from a few threads on reddit that many will pay in vouchers, a dozen $100 vouchers that can't be used together.
      - soneil 10y ago
        Here's the fun part. The cash/cheque option is available if it was involuntary. But the option only has to be available, usually you have to ask for it. Not telling you that option exists is legit, telling you that option doesn't exist isn't. But if it was voluntary, the monetary option is not mandated. So when they ask if anyone wants to volunteer for a voucher, accepting that offer is volunteering, and writing yourself out of the cash option. (The airline can still offer it, but they no longer have to offer it).
        vijayr 10y ago
        Not telling you that option exists is legit How can this be ethical? The customer is doing a favor by giving up their seat, shouldn't they at least tell them what options are available? If I were an airline employee, I'd need to draw out a flowchart to remember all this.
    - 1024core 10y ago
      > are mandated by USDOT to pay you 4x the ticket price In the case of United, if by "pay" you mean give you a voucher (or N vouchers of value 1/N of the total, only 1 of which can be used at a time) for travel on their airline, to be used in 1 year, not to be combined with other offers, yada yada... No wonder no one wanted to take them up!
  - AznHisoka 10y ago
    Do you have to pay taxes on that?

rdtsc 10y ago

Yeah I saw that. That's brilliant. First thing is getting people thinking about getting money, so they are already primed, fantasizing about it. Then the hint about "Delta will pick the lowest bid first". Those interested already are willing to play but now have to think of others outbidding them so they lower the bid. And lastly and most importantly, it lets people who never want to participate (such as well, doctors who have to be there for their patients) not participate.

JumpCrisscross 10y ago
I fly Delta. They've paid me over $1,000 in cash [1] to bump me off a $500 flight. I don't think United pays that much. Instead, they get aggressive. [1] American Express gift card
- fastball 10y ago
  Actually, airlines in the US are mandated by USDOT to pay you 4x the ticket price or $1350 (whichever is lower) for a domestic delay >2hrs or an international delay >4hrs. If the bump delays you by <2hrs (generally unlikely), it's 2x ticket price or $650 (again, whichever is lower). You were probably entitled to $1350, so you really didn't do that great. That is also how much the United passenger is/was entitled to.
  - JumpCrisscross 10y ago
    Blows me away that American regulators decided to cap compensation in the event of denied boarding [1]. [1] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/18/08-1145/oversales-and-denied-boarding-compensation https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/04/18/08-1145...
  - flukus 10y ago
    Are they mandated to pay cash? I've heard from a few threads on reddit that many will pay in vouchers, a dozen $100 vouchers that can't be used together.
    - soneil 10y ago
      Here's the fun part. The cash/cheque option is available if it was involuntary. But the option only has to be available, usually you have to ask for it. Not telling you that option exists is legit, telling you that option doesn't exist isn't. But if it was voluntary, the monetary option is not mandated. So when they ask if anyone wants to volunteer for a voucher, accepting that offer is volunteering, and writing yourself out of the cash option. (The airline can still offer it, but they no longer have to offer it).
      - vijayr 10y ago
        Not telling you that option exists is legit How can this be ethical? The customer is doing a favor by giving up their seat, shouldn't they at least tell them what options are available? If I were an airline employee, I'd need to draw out a flowchart to remember all this.
  - 1024core 10y ago
    > are mandated by USDOT to pay you 4x the ticket price In the case of United, if by "pay" you mean give you a voucher (or N vouchers of value 1/N of the total, only 1 of which can be used at a time) for travel on their airline, to be used in 1 year, not to be combined with other offers, yada yada... No wonder no one wanted to take them up!
- AznHisoka 10y ago
  Do you have to pay taxes on that?