Would you (or have you) take the cash/flight offer?

Linda, tough question. It depends on whether I would come out ahead and how much with the $600 and one-way fare.

But a big factor is vacation time. I don't want to waste precious vacation days.

As with many things it's really up to the individual.

Guaranteed next flight out OR just a later flight. Any imminent weather issues that might lead to delays or cancellations of later flights - pretty risky this time of the year, I think.
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It was Southworst that got themselves into a pickle, it was them offering the cash NOT the individual.
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The other thing is, I don't need the cash or want the vouchers, I just want to continue on my merry way.

This is something you had better figure out before you even hear the announcement. Because someone will surely take the offer before you have a chance to do your own pros and cons.
You should be heading to the desk as soon as the announcement goes out. There is no time to wait. No time to ponder this and that and have a discussion with your travel partner.

Sorry, a tad off topic, but I had a United Flight to Europe. I got bumped, but the wife not and they were going to charge her a rebooking fee if she stayed with me and the next flight was the next day (a day of an already short vacation lost).

The United staff began offering money (or credit, dont remember). They ran it like an auction and it was ridiculous. It got up to $600 and ended and still no seat for me, but it looked like the guy sitting next to me was tempted so I asked him, what would it take. He said $800.

I paid him the extra $200 so I could get on the flight. But the United staff tried to object, it almost got ugly.

If it was just me, and responsibilities at home weren't pressing, yes I would take it. I have seen the bidding go up to $800 on a Delta flight once, but I'm thinking it was in vouchers, not cash.

If I'm on my way home I'd do it in a second, but not on the way to a destination. I had a friend who made a lot of business trips in the 90's and he would make a habit of it. He seemed to have it down to a science and would come home with cash and flight vouchers.

Mister E, well done thinking on your feet. I'd probably do the same for $200.

I absolutely would take $600 cash (or to be honest, even a $600 future flight credit) if my plans were flexible. I usually fly non-rev standby as an airline retiree, but on the times that I do buy a ticket, I always hope that the flight will be overbooked and that they offer cash or flight credit to be bumped. It hasn't happened yet but if the circumstances were right and they offered, I'd jump on the opportunity.

I have done this before. Alaska Airlines offered me $300 to take the next flight to Santa Fe from Seattle. They put me on American and I arrived at my destination 2 hours later and I had no other plans for the day anyway. I took the cash.

There have been other offers. Last year, I dearly wanted to take an Alaska Airlines offer, but I was traveling with my daughter and her family and I didn't want her to be put in the position of trying to explain why "Grandma wasn't traveling with them anymore."

Years ago flying out of Florida to Panama the airline offered $400 cash and a later flight due to overbooked. My travel companion & I took it. Then the original flight was delayed and everyone, including my next flight, had to spend the night in Florida due to an Air Traffic Control strike and the Tower closing at 8pm in Panama.
The airline put us all up in a hotel w/dinner & breakfast vouchers. We just smiled with the extra $400 each in hand.

I’ve been on flights where this has been offered, but it occurs to me now that it’s been a while since that’s been the case. I’ve never taken them up on it.

James, that was quite savvy for you to put up the extra $200 to get that seat (although on the other hand it’s outrageous that you had to pay anything to get a seat on a flight you had already paid for. But in the moment, there you go with being able to go ahead with your plans with your wife).

I've taken those offers, when I had the flexibiility.

My parents did, flying from Washington, DC (Reagan National) to LAX. It was about $300 each in the mid 1980's so a fair amount of money. They were guaranteed the next flight - out of Dulles. Since it was back in the day where you could walk people to the gate I was still there and said sure, I can drive you to Dulles.

Yes, I have done this before. The amount of cash offered (maximum amount) should be spelled out in the legalese (fine print) of your contract of carriage, so know that number ahead of time and be mentally prepared for what you'd do. You may be surprised how high the airline can go, and how many people accept a lowball offer (way below the maximum). But it's human psychology to take something over nothing when competing with others.

If/when I have flexibility ( i.e., homeward bound) I have done it.

Once had a transfer at ORD. By taking a flight 3-4 hrs later we got bumped to 1st class; got vouchers that paid for flight to Hawaii the next year and got food vouchers to use at ORD while we waited.

Well, all the scenarios have been interesting to read. I actually have taken Alaska Airlines up on an offer for airline credit once. It was on my way back home and I had flexibility. curious about the whole CASH aspect of the Southwest offer.

Agree to be ready for the offers and volunteer right away but also, negotiate as much as is reasonable for a result that you can be happy with.

A few times we were offered cash when flights were “oversold.” At the time our travel plans weren’t flexible. That said, I recall two other occasions that we volunteered to take the next flight and were upgraded to First Class. Another time we had a layover at DTW on route to Greece. Delta needed our comfort seats for a wheelchair user passenger. We consented & were upgraded to first class.

No, but almost several times. There have been years when my schedule was not flexible - but now it is and I bet I end up taking advantage of an offer in the future.

I did. last time it was a little jump of a flight, $500 + a flight credit and I rented myself a car one way to finish the journey. But I was flexible, no real plans and also headed home. It only delayed my journey a few hours.

My decision is always based on what am I doing, where am I going, and will it cause any problems or upset? If not, sure delay me! I just make sure it’s a BIG offer so that my hotel (if needed) is covered and food, other expenses in delaying

Well, you sure wouldn't want to be taking any cash offers for your seat, today.

It's nearly happened to us/me twice.
First time: we had checked in to fly to Rome and as we walked away from the desk the agent called to us and said, "We'll give you 800 Euro each if you fly tomorrow instead".
We said no as we were meeting friends in Rome as soon as we landed.
Should have said yes as the euro was almost $2.50 Canadian at that time!

The second time, I was alone and my flight Florence to Frankfurt was late arriving, so I had to run to get my flight to Canada.
As I got there a woman in line said to me that I had just missed an offer of 800 Euro to take a flight the next day instead.

800 must have been the magic number then.

Coming home, I would do it in a heartbeat, and have. In 2003, coming home from Paris, our group of 9 people were asked to be bumped. We were each offered $800 cash, food, hotel rooms, and first class seats the following day. Considering our entire trip cost just over $800 each originally (package tour deal), it was a huge score for us and we were all thrilled.

Man, it was hard to go back to flying economy after that!

Flying TO Europe would take more consideration. It would depend on how many days we have at our first stop, whether car rentals are involved or train tickets have been purchased, etc.

I've heard (unsubstantiated) you can always ask for cash – usually much preferable to flight credits, even if a lower dollar value.

In Feb 2020 we were at Jackson Hole WY airport, and the flights to SFO and LAX were delayed because of weather, and they were looking for ~10 volunteers to be bumped & go home the next day. The amount of flight credit offered by United went up to $3,500 per person before anyone headed for SFO even looked up.

No one in our party of seven took the bait – partly b/c it was super cold, and partly b/c we all had stuff to do at home – but of course I kicked myself furiously for the next few days after (finally) arriving home on the original flight. And then, of course, Covid happened a few weeks later, and I stopped the kicking :-)

Yes I have, and I would again, but as is so often the case, it all depends on the details. To maximize your gains, one needs to have a clear strategy, a game-day plan, an iron will, and a readiness to jump when the ball is in play.

You may giving it up way too cheaply. $600?! Pffft. Six hunderd bucks is nothing to sneeze at for a minor inconvenience, but the numbers can get much higher. Call me when you're talking 4 figures...

Back when I was "commuting" for work on flights regularly, I took careful steps to make this work. I had a good idea of the flights that were most often oversold (because I booked those flights, I knew that many were business travelers trying to go out and back on the same day). My plan was to book flights that were frequently oversold, but also that had later flights available on the same day that would get me where I really needed to go, on time. Also very predictable: flights get full and oversold just before and after long weekends and around holidays. One can easily see how busy a flight is by checking available seats (the seating chart doesn't always give a full picture, because it only shows you assigned seats, and not everyone picks their seats in advance, but it's a good starting point; the airline websites will tell you current ticket prices, and often adds the friendly note "only X seats left at this price." There are other tools available, too).

Did you know, you do not have to wait until they announce they need volunteers before you get on their list? Yes, most airlines/gates actually maintain a list of volunteers for bumps. This is a double-edged sword: you can approach the gate agent as soon as they arrive and tell them you would be willing to take a bump, I've never had an agent refuse to put me on their list (or start a list with my name at the top). The downside is that if the bidding goes up, you may have sold yourself too cheaply. So it pays to have a good idea of how full the flight is, how full the next flight is, overall demand, etc.

Everything's negotiable. Doesn't mean you will get what you ask for but, you can try. I've asked for (and received) all of the following:

• A guaranteed seat on the next flight out (or a later flight I specified)
• A seat in First/Business class
• A specific seat (eg window or aisle, not a non-reclining seat back by the toilets)
• A voucher for food in the airport (helps if your delay will be a long one)
• A voucher for food or drinks on my flight
• A voucher for a hotel near the airport (when your delay will be overnight)
• A voucher for a free, round-trip ticket anywhere that the airline flies to (that was a nice one)
• Frequent Flyer points

I wouldn't expect to get all of those things at the same time, but when they REALLY want your seat, you can get a lot!

That said, if I really do need to be on my original flight (to make an irreplaceable connection or other time-critical event) no price is high enough to get me to give up my seat. But if I've got some flexibility -- especially if I'm on my way home -- then I'm willing to play the game.

David, I like your strategy and might just employ some of your tactics next time I’m in this situation. Retired and can be pretty flexible on my day to day schedule.

David, great tips!
On December 26, my mom flew Sea to Phx on delta. They offered $1,000 to take a later flight, which she would have done had she not been feeling poorly.