| Negotiating compensation |
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The airline screwed you and forced you to give up your seat. Make sure they now compensate you with free meals, accommodation, and upgrades on your next flight. Here is how…
Giving up your seat?
If you’ve ever been asked to give up your seat on a flight or bumped off a flight because the airlines overbooked it, you know that you are entitled to compensation. What kind of compensation is another question altogether. The important thing to remember is that when you discuss your compensation with the gate agent, that particular person has a great deal of authority in making the decision what to give you. He or she can decide to give you a lot more or a lot less depending on your behavior. So be polite and friendly and know what your rights are. This is the best way to get the most from the airline.
Negotiating a non-cash refund for giving up your seat:
The airlines have specific guidelines about what the gate agents can offer to encourage volunteers to let go of their seats. This amount varies depending on the length of the flight and how long the delay is, and it can be modified according to various “market forces” such as how many people are willing to volunteer. If there are too few volunteers, you may be offered a better deal for being willing to fly at another time or on another day.
Of course, what you get in compensation is not entirely up to you. The airline can accept you as a volunteer or decide not to. If they decide they don’t like you, because you are too demanding or too pushy, instead of considering you a volunteer they can just deny your right to board the flight and give you the absolute minimum in refund.
As a general rule, the airlines don’t like to accept offers to volunteer that come with conditions. However, if you’re traveling with your spouse or in a group, you can certainly say “we are traveling together and either we are all off the flight or no one is”, so that you all remain together. This is a totally fair demand.
Airlines are often more openhanded than the law requires of them, for a number of reasons. The first is that their refund to you is not in cash. It costs less for them to give you a voucher for a future flight than to hand you cash or write you a check. The second reason is that they really do not want to make you miserable. They would rather be a little more generous with a willing volunteer who understands that he is being offered an opportunity, than ruin someone’s day by forcing him off a flight he really needs to be on.
There are quite a few factors you need to think about while negotiating your compensation for volunteering. Some of these are important to consider before you make the decision to volunteer and others will need to be dealt with on the spot.
The following is a list of different items generally offered as compensation to volunteers. Not all airlines are generous about the same things, but you are certainly entitled to go through the whole list and try your luck at getting the maximum. And remember, if you are compensated generously in one area, you can still ask to be well-compensated in other areas.
New flight arrangements The important thing to have in mind is what time you will get to where you are going and how this will affect your plans. If changing your flight will make you late to your destination and this means you will need to stay someplace overnight, you can request to be booked on a different airline to avoid this. It will be helpful to give them suggestions as to what other airline to use. They don’t like to do this very often because airlines often charge each other for accepting each other’s passengers, so this is a request which should be made politely and not in a demanding voice. You can also ask for a flight to another airport if your destination is a city with more than one major airport. If they agree, you can certainly ask for added compensation because you will be paying for a taxi. Accommodations If you do have to stay overnight before boarding your new flight, it is totally reasonable to expect the airlines to pay for a hotel room. Be sure to ask if you have a choice of hotels and if the airlines will supply transportation to the hotel and back to the airport for your flight. If they don’t, ask them if they will pay for a taxi – this is a realistic request. You can also ask them to provide you with dinner or breakfast at the hotel, if you are there at the appropriate hour, although it is advisable to first confirm that you will be provided with a hotel room and determine the details later on. Meals and snacks If you won’t be staying overnight, but instead spending a few hours at the airport, the airlines should provide you with a voucher for a snack or meal, depending on the time of day and the length of your wait. If you will be waiting for only a short time, it may be better to ask about this only after you are accepted as a volunteer. The vouchers they give you are generally worth a specific dollar amount and can be used at various establishments in the airport. If you’re with a spouse or friend, you might try asking for three vouchers to be split between the two of you. Upgrades on your flight You might decide to ask for an upgrade to first or business class on your alternate flight. There have been stories of individuals or even families who had success with this request. If this important to you, it is worth a try, but since it is not something the airline is obligated to give you, it is better to only bring it up after they accept you as a volunteer. You can also consider offering to wait longer for another flight if this means a first class seat. Phone calls home While this once was a traditional part of the compensation given by most airlines, things have changed with the advent of cell-phones. Most people have them nowadays, and you can easily call friends or family members to let them know of your change in plans. The airlines used to give out phone-calling cards that could be used for calling home. If the subject comes up, you can try asking for another food voucher instead, although it is certainly not worth making a big deal about. Access to the airport lounge If you’re going to be held up quite a while, it is reasonable to ask if you can have a guest pass to the airport lounge. If they say they don’t give out such passes you can ask them to write a note in your file requesting you be allowed into the lounge when more room becomes available. The truth, however, is that the lounge is not such a big deal these days. Some have offered free food and alcoholic drinks in the past, nowadays most don’t. This is a request that is better to wait with until you are already accepted as a volunteer. Assorted “freebies” You can always ask if there are any other ways they will compensate you but pay attention to the gate agent’s responses - you can usually tell if it’s worth the effort or not. Still, if they tell you that there is nothing else, you might consider suggesting a few ideas they may agree to. Some examples of what they could give you: vouchers for $25 towards another flight… frequent flier miles…. coupons for free snacks on the flight or in the airport. Don’t forget that if you are pleasant and friendly they may respond in kind. They might surprise you. Most passengers are tense, rattled and in a hurry and tend to blame the gate agents for any problem that comes up. They aren’t used to agreeable people, so they just might reward you for your consideration! As a general rule, it pays to be nice.
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