No (Alleged) Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Some Advice If You Take a Voluntary Bump

A somewhat confusing situation apparently occurred prior to a recent Delta Air Lines flight from Denver (DEN) to Seattle (SEA).

Denied Voluntarily Denied Boarding Compensation?

We’ve written posts about how you can make money or earn travel funds by volunteering your seat on an oversold flight. Some people’s stories make the news, like this one from a few years ago when Delta ponied up a lot of money for one flight in Michigan.

Redditor “SnooRecipes2788” posted this (all sic):

I volunteered to be bumped off a flight ( Denver to Seattle) and was told I’d receive a $800 credit for agreeing to do so. The entire situation was a sh*t show and I should have known better, I suppose. The woman who helped me at the airport told me the credit should show up right away and when it didn’t I asked for a receipt and then told to go to another line and waited until I had to go to the flight I was bumped to. The people at the counter insisted it would show up although my gut told me otherwise. I submitted a complaint that evening and 3 weeks later they just got back to me with the following:

“When I looked up the flight, I do see that some passengers were given $800 DBC’s for voluntarily giving up their seat. I did not see any documentation that you were promised this DBC and when I looked further, I noted that your seat was dropped a little early in the boarding process. Normally if you are given this compensation your seat would have been dropped closer to the time of boarding. DBC’s are only given at the airport, not in reservations. For these reasons, I will not be able to give you the $800 amount in that form, however, I would like to offer you a $300 electronic transportation voucher towards a future flight. I know this is not near what you were expecting, however my hope is that this goodwill gesture will be seen as an addition to my sincere apology for this experience.”

The irony is that the desk told me they didn’t drop my seat in case they were unable to get me on a later flight. I’m so frustrated- I have status, choose delta always and have spent so much money with this company. This feels like a deceptive business practice and I’m unsure the best next step? Any advice?

Well, this stinks.

Several people suggested the passenger file a complaint with the Department of Transportation. Others suggested taking Delta to small claims court. (Where would you file the case? Denver? Atlanta? Is it even worth your time? I understand fighting for what’s right and holding companies accountable. This is an interesting one. I know several lawyers who read the blog — I’d love to hear your takes!)

René deLambert and I chatted about this particular situation. In our experience, Delta “bump” compensation always comes in one of two forms. The first is a paper voucher stating the exact amount you’re awarded and its expiration date, if any. But I think those are a thing of the past.

In any case, check out Moneybags de Lambert here with his $3,000 bump!

The other is a gift card you select from a variety of choices. I remember Delta, Amazon, Target, and American Express being a few of the options. (If you’ve taken a bump recently and remember some of the other brands, feel free to update us in the Comments section!)

You first receive an email from Delta thanking you for volunteering. That email also includes the information to claim your gift card. (You provide your email address to the gate agent who facilitates your bump.)

I’ve read SnooRecipes2788’s post a few times. Is there something they inadvertently left out? Did the Delta rep(s) in Denver screw up somehow? One, both, or none could all be true.

Although, the Delta customer service response saying, “I noted that your seat was dropped a little early in the boarding process. Normally if you are given this compensation your seat would have been dropped closer to the time of boarding.” But then Delta offers a “goodwill gesture” in the form of a $300 travel credit.

That leaves me to believe that a Delta representative in Denver made a mistake somewhere. If the passenger’s seat was dropped, what was the explanation? Why weren’t they given a voucher? (Service just isn’t the same since the COVID pandemic — that goes for most of the hospitality and service industries.)

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, especially in someone else’s situation. However, this is what you might want to do if you find yourself in a similar situation.

First, I wouldn’t leave the gate agent’s desk (or very near vicinity) until I receive the email confirming my compensation. (Again, in my experience, the emails arrive very quickly and usually before I get my new flight’s boarding pass.) Your original flight has likely departed, so you probably can’t say something like, “Get me the email now or I’ll change my mind!” (Caveat to that: one you give up your seat, you’re subject to be reassigned anywhere on the plane — including a bad seat. Or even downgraded.)

If that doesn’t happen, ask for a supervisor. Delta calls them “Red Coats.” (Spoiler alert: it’s because they wear red-colored uniforms.)  If the Red Coat can’t help you, then start getting names and call Delta when you can. And email their CEO, who says it’s fine to do so if you have a problem. You may also want to contact the DOT.

Final Approach

A Delta passenger claims they weren’t given the bump compensation Delta committed to. What do you think happened here? Has something similar happened to you? What’s your advice here? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.