Sally French fondly remembers one of the best Delta flights she never took.
The San Francisco resident was traveling to Atlanta for a wedding when the gate agent asked for volunteers to forfeit their seats on the overbooked flight. French raised her hand, earning $600 in gift cards and a ticket on the next flight 90 minutes later.
“I had free Amazon for like the whole rest of the year,” said French, lead travel writer at NerdWallet.
Bumping can be a windfall — or a hardship — depending on the circumstances and how you play the game.
With voluntary bumping, passengers on an oversold flight can exchange their seat for any number of incentives, including flight credits, vouchers, cash, gift cards, or a hotel stay with food and airport transfers. Involuntary bumping is more ruthless, denying boarding to passengers in a joyless game of musical plane seats. The practice hit a low point in 2017, when Chicago security officers dragged a Louisville doctor down the aisle of a United flight as if he were a side of beef.
The industry’s “denied boarding” track record has vastly improved since then, thanks to technological advances that help airlines better predict how much they can oversell without disrupting the flight.
“Some airlines over the last few years have made a really concerted effort to not just minimize bumping passengers but bring the number of involuntarily bumped passengers down to zero,” said Nick Ewen, editor in chief at the Points Guy.
According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, Delta and Allegiant did not involuntarily bump a single person in the fourth quarter of 2025. Southwest, United and JetBlue posted double-digits figures. Meanwhile, American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier by passenger volume, and Frontier, which doesn’t have that excuse, involuntarily bumped 1,684 and 1,518 people, respectively.
The figures for voluntary bumps are larger — 18,756 for Delta, 6,274 for United and 8,567 for American — but, in these cases, passengers exercised their free will.
Yet, overselling is still part of the industry’s business strategy, and airlines might feel an even sharper pinch this holiday season, when millions of people will fly despite soaring fares and route and service cuts tied to the war in Iran.
For some passengers, this scenario rings of opportunity. For others, it portends trouble. Either way, travelers can make their bumping experience less bumpy by following some simple strategies.
Why airlines overbook
Airlines oversell seats as a form of insurance against no-shows. To determine the sweet spot of ticket sales, Ewen said, carriers employ “sophisticated algorithms” that calculate past flights, future behavior, supply, demand and potential weather events.
They often hit the mark. But on occasion, they miss it.
In those instances, the Department of Transportation requires the carriers to ask passengers to volunteer their seats in exchange for compensation. If no one steps up, the airline will have to deny boarding to eligible passengers. Unaccompanied minors and travelers with disabilities or special needs are exempt; loyalty members and passengers in high-fare classes are often untouchable, too.
U.S. airlines must follow DOT’s compensation calculus for involuntary bumping, ranging from 200 percent of the one-way fare (maxing out at $1,075) to 400 percent (up to $2,150). The European Union has its own set of rules.
Carriers prefer to have passengers volunteer their seats and will start their outreach early to gauge interest. However, an ask doesn’t always bloom into an offer.
“Passengers see a lot of solicitations to volunteer,” said travel expert Scott Laird, “but it’s relatively rare the airline actually needs their seat.”
On several recent flights, Ewen placed his name on the volunteer list. At the gate, the agent informed him they wouldn’t need his seat.
He had better success years ago on a June flight from London to Atlanta. He and his wife earned $1,000 each in Delta credits, plus a night at an airport hotel and meal vouchers.
Their bump paid for a future trip to Tahiti.
Avoid the dreaded ‘denied boarding’
While your chances of getting involuntary bumped are low, you can make them infinitesimal with a few easy steps.
After booking your flight, check that you have a confirmed ticket, not a standby. Look for a six-character booking reference number, also known as the confirmation code, or a 13-digit ticket number. If it doesn’t appear within a day or two, contact the airline.
Check in as soon as you can, typically 24 hours before your plane’s departure. “That lets the airline know that you are planning on taking this flight,” Ewen said.
You may receive a message from the airline asking if your plans are flexible and, if so, whether you would consider switching your flight to a different time or day or submitting a compensation bid — a sign that the flight could be oversold. (Be careful of scams of a similar nature.) If you are concerned that you might get bumped, change your flight, which could also entail an upgrade.
For the bump curious, Ewen said you can submit a value without committing. “Putting in an amount is you offering to have a conversation at the gate,” he said.
Finally, give yourself ample time to travel from home to the boarding gate, especially during the crowded holidays. Most airlines start boarding 30 to 60 minutes before push-off. If you arrive after the final boarding call, typically 15 minutes before departure, the carrier may reassign your seat to another passenger.
“That’s not being bumped,” Laird said, “that’s missing your flight.”
Be a volunteer bumpee
The ideal volunteer has a flexible schedule, no checked luggage and no qualms about boarding last, in order to see if your seat’s surrogate shows up.
To avoid languishing at the airport, make sure the airline has several daily flights to your destination. For this reason, flying a major carrier on a popular route is often preferable to a smaller airline with intermittent service.
“I have no problem waiting at the airport for two hours for a Delta flight, but how many people will wait two days for an Allegiant flight?” French asked.
In the DOT’s “Bumping and Oversales” fact sheet, the agency advises potential volunteers to ask the airline about the availability of the next confirmed seat on the next flight. If they put you on standby and the flight is full, you could be twiddling your thumbs for a while.
If the incentive is rich, volunteers could face competition from other passengers. French said volunteers may have a better shot on flights to hub airports with a large network of international connections. Travelers flying abroad, she reasoned, can’t risk missing their second leg.
One of the most fruitful bumping seasons is nearly upon us. During the winter holidays, millions of people are traveling, many of whom are expected at the Thanksgiving table or tree-trimming party. Travelers without obligations or with more forgiving families should buck common wisdom and fly on the busiest days, such as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday, Dec. 23 and 27, and Jan. 3.
Wait for the big payoff
If played well, a voluntary bumping can be lucrative.
Working within the airline’s parameters, the gate agents have the authority to craft incentive deals and can use their discretion when setting the amount. Unlike involuntary bumping, DOT does not cap the amount.
A TikTok user who goes by Jean Like Levi’s posted a video about a Delta flight’s unsuccessful attempt to entice passengers to give up their seats. The opening bid of $800 mushroomed to $6,000.
Commenters shared their own success stories, including a family of five who pocketed $3,000 each and a couple who earned $4,000 for agreeing to extend their stay in Paris.
If the agent dangles a credit or voucher, DOT advises passengers to ask about the finer details, such as its expiration date, holiday blackout periods and destination restrictions (just domestic or also international?). Also inquire about whether the carrier will provide additional amenities, such as meals, a hotel room and airport transfers.
If you are not satisfied with what’s on the table, negotiate.
French was flying from Austin to San Francisco when a Delta agent sent out a call for volunteers. She finagled a $400 credit and a hotel room, because her seat was on the last flight of the day.
“That was not initially offered, but they said, yes, we will give you a hotel room,” she said. (In the end, they didn’t need her spot.)
Decide what you’re willing to accept, and don’t worry about getting bested by other passengers. According to the rules, if the airline accepts your low bid, you will still earn the same amount as the latecomer with the higher demands.
All’s fair in the bumping wars.
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