Bump Strategies

Filed in archive Cheap Travel Tools on June 7, 2008

Relax, ski bums! This has nothing to do with moguls! I'm talking about the fine art of purposely getting bumped from a flight. Last weekend, I visited family in Raleigh, North Carolina. My flight took me from Denver to Cincinnati, and then from Cincinnati to Raleigh. When I reached the Delta desk in Cincinnati, I heard an announcement that was music to my ears:

"This flight is overbooked. If you are willing to give up your seat in exchange for compensation, we have seats available on the next flight, which is in another hour." Compensation was a $200 travel voucher!

Let me tell you about these vouchers:

They are like cash. As such, you still earn frequent flyer miles when using them
They are non-taxable.
They are transferable.

Many years ago, my husband and I earned $2500 a piece by agreeing to fly from New York to Miami via Chicago. However, the airline was only so generous because it was Christmas Eve. In most cases, it's easier to get bumped and earn vouchers if you are not checking luggage. If a flight looks particularly busy, ask the gate agent if they need volunteers. Good luck!