BLOG: Bid To Be Bumped On Delta
How much would it take to get you to give up your seat on an overbooked airline flight? Well Delta is taking bids.
Like other airlines, Delta has history of asking for volunteers to be bumped to a later flight in exchange for vouchers toward future travel. Now, Delta is taking the system one step further. It is allowing passengers to bid to be bumped.
If a flight is overbooked, Delta passengers checking in online or at an airport kiosk will see a screen asking them if they'd like to submit bid for the value of a travel voucher. Customers then name their price. They input a dollar amount if they are interested in taking a later flight and then if the airline needs volunteers, Delta will bump passengers starting at the lowest bids and going up from there.
Delta says the bidding system will cut down on the time gate agents spend soliciting volunteers, which in the end can speed up boarding and cut down on delays. It also benefits the airline since the new system could mean smaller amounts being paid out in compensation.
Some people may still be bumped involuntarily if the flight is
overbooked and there aren't enough volunteers who agree to take a later flight. In that case if you are delayed for more than an hour, Department of Transportation rules require that airlines pay at least the price of your one-way fare up to $400 to $800, depending on how long you are delayed.
