No, that only limits how up they HAVE to go - past that they have no obligation. If you get denied boarding and they have not reached the 400% / $1350 offer, yo

No, that only limits how up they HAVE to go - past that they have no obligation. If you get denied boarding and they have not reached the 400% / $1350 offer, you have legal recourse. They are absolutely not forbidden from offering more if they choose to - this is actually even explicitly mentioned in the regulations. The legalese is not super easy to parse, but this link makes a decent attempt at explaining it: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/4/11/1652290/-The-Widely-Misreported-1350-Maximum-Offer-for-A-Passenger-Voluntarily-Giving-Up-A-Seat https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/4/11/1652290/-The-Wide... Edit: The Department of Transportation's own official website also explains it quite clearly here: (https://cms.dot.gov/airconsumer/faq https://cms.dot.gov/airconsumer/faq) Q: Is the amount an airline must offer involuntarily bumped passengers arriving on a substitute flight over 2 hours after their original flight still 400% of the one-way fare, for a maximum of $1,350? A: Yes, an airline must offer 400% of the one-way fare up to $1350 to involuntarily bumped passengers arriving on a substitute flight over two hours after the planned arrival time of their original domestic flight. Airlines are free to offer involuntarily bumped passengers more money than required.