According to Inc. magazine, a Delta passenger who purchased a ticket for an over-sold flight claimed that he and others were offered $10,000 to surrender their seats and travel later.
Jason Aten, Inc. tech columnist, stated that he recently traveled with his family on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Minneapolis. He said that the airline offered $10,000 in cash (not flight credit) to passengers who had opted to surrender their seats.
According to Aten's account, Delta needed eight volunteers. According to Aten, the flight attendant stated that if you have Apple Pay, then you will even have the money now.
This incident happened at a time passengers are experiencing flight delays and cancellations. The July 4th weekend is expected to be chaotic for both airlines and travelers. This holiday weekend will see 3.5 million people fly, despite rising COVID-19 infection rates, flight delays, and staff shortages.
Aten refused to give up his seat. Delta did not comment. The airline confirmed that it offered passengers compensation at varying levels in return for their seats being given up on overbooked flights. This was in an effort to expedite the departure of the planes.
Delta spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch that the ability to pay compensation for full flights "enables our employees' efforts care for customers, and get aircraft out on schedule," she said.
According to CNBC, Delta raised the compensation limit for passengers who switched flights in 2017.
This policy change enabled the company's customer services agents to offer passengers $9950 in compensation. This is an increase from the $1,350 maximum payout. According to Delta's policy, Aten claimed that he was offered $10,000 for switching flights. However, it is likely that the exact amount was $9,950.
Delta stated in a memo to staff that was obtained by CNBC in 2017: "To strengthen our commitment to agents and their ability care for customers, we will increase the maximum allowable damages limit for voluntary denied boards (VDBs), systemwide."
In exchange for compensation, a customer may request to be denied boarding.
Experts recommend that travelers avoid unnecessary delays and avoid flying direct to avoid any headaches at the airport. They also advise them to avoid checking their luggage and to leave at least one day of buffer time if they are traveling to attend an important event.
