(CMR) Delta Air Lines reportedly offered US$10,000 to each passenger who volunteered to be bumped from an oversold flight from Michigan to Minnesota on Monday.
Jason Aten, Inc. magazine columnist, wrote that he was waiting at the gate for a flight to Minnesota when Delta announced it was looking for eight volunteers to get on a later flight. He said the carrier offered $10,000 to each of those willing to give up their seats.
“If you have Apple Pay, you'll even have the money right now,” the flight attendant said, according to Aten.
Aten told Fortune his group of eight didn't put their hands up as they didn't immediately know how many volunteers were needed.
“Had we known it was eight, we would have gotten off. By the time that was clear, four or five people had already left,” he said.
According to Business Insider, while a $10,000 payout is rare, Delta back in 2017 did increase the maximum amount it would pay to bump passengers from oversold flights to nearly $10,000 from $1,350.
Delta's unusually high compensation comes amid a messy summer travel season with flight delays and chaos across the industry as demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Issues faced by airlines include staff shortages — including pilots — and bad weather, Business Insider reported.
Over the Juneteenth and Father's Day weekends, US airlines collectively canceled or delayed more than 35,000 flights. Flights are expected to be affected this weekend for the July 4th celebrations.
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