Delta Pays $4,000 to Bump a Passenger by Just 9 Hours
US airlines have become rather sqeamish about involuntarily bumping passengers ever since United Airlines was lambasted by the public after the Chicago police dragged a semi-conscious passenger off one of its planes earlier this year so that the airline could instead puts its own employees in the seats. However, on Friday, Delta took being cautious to the next level when it paid $4,000 in compensation to get a single passenger to give up her seat on a flight less than two hours long, all while still making it to her destination later the same night.
Delta Flight 874 was scheduled to depart at 9:45am from Atlanta (ATL) to South Bend, Indiana (SBN). At first blush that might not seem like a terribly popular route, but this weekend the Georgia Bulldogs will play football against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for only the second time ever. Which means for certain University of Georgia fans, right now it's either South Bend or bust.
The aircraft, an MD-88 with 149 total seats, was overbooked by one passenger, and so Delta began asking for volunteers and offering compensation. After the United incident in April, Delta changed its policy so that front line agents can offer up to $2,000 in compensation to volunteers. But when a supervisor gets involved, the limit is as high as $9,950.
So according to Zach Klein, the Sports Director of WSB-TV in Atlanta (who was also on the flight), when no one wanted to get off the plane, the price quickly climbed...
And climbed...
And climbed...
Until Delta finally hit the magic number for one Tracy Jarvis Smith, who will still get into South Bend nearly 24 hours before kickoff but with her purse just a wee bit heavier than before...
Fortunately for Ms. Smith, "last call" in the great state of Indiana is 3am, so she'll still be able to squeeze in at least six hours of... well, let's call it "pregame prep" before catching some sleep. Congratulations to Ms. Smith, and of course, the first round of drinks is on her.
H/T: View From The Wing
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.