If you’ve been to an airport, especially on a busy day, you may have seen panicked-looking gate attendants and heard calls for volunteers to jump out of a plane flight. The usual reward for this is a generally good coupon for a comparable flight to the one you were transferred to.
From an airline perspective, empty seats are lost revenue. Airlines typically overbook flights by 4 to 6 percent because, on average, that’s how many people miss connections, have to cancel at the last minute, or can’t make the flight. For something close to 80 percent of all airline flights, this overbooking is not a problem. For those 20 percent of flights where it is, it can be either a huge inconvenience or a huge opportunity.
Airlines offer coupons instead of refunding airfares to their purchasing mechanism for two reasons. The first is time; it often takes 24 hours or more to process a credit card refund, and that requires more work on your part to make it happen. The second is that a surprising number of coupons are not used.
If you get kicked off a flight, make a fuss and you can usually get more than a coupon. Ask for two entrees or three. Ask about hotel credits or restaurant gift cards. If you are using an airline miles program, apply for bonus miles. Don’t be afraid to show your irritation by doing this; airlines hand out coupons to quell complaints, and remember that your goal is to get the best possible reward for your inconvenience.
If you absolutely have to make a connecting flight and have the cash, find out how many volunteers you need to voluntarily depart a flight and look for potential candidates. College students waiting in a terminal are good candidates for this: a hundred dollars out of pocket means they can volunteer when they otherwise wouldn’t. Take Notes and Get Receipts – You can take the airline to small claims court and get funds.
The second strategy is to have a flexible schedule; I routinely plan my flights assuming I will volunteer to get the coupon for my next business trip.
I had a two-year streak in which, due to potholes, I did not have to pay for a single trip. Just be prepared to sit at a terminal if this is the case. If you volunteer to take a hit, be polite about it, but remind them you’re doing them a favor and see if you can get a coupon plus airline mines, hotel accommodation, or an extra ticket.
Using coupons requires some thought and planning. First of all, make sure you keep them in a safe place and write down the expiration date. Every time you book your next trip, use the coupons first before paying money to cover airfare. Remember, airlines count on the fact that most coupons end up unused; use them to your advantage when you get them; note that some airlines put blackout dates on coupons; that’s why it’s better to use them sooner rather than later.
