Delta Promises $15K Bump, Retroactively Slashes Offer 90%, Gaslights Customer

It’s common for airlines to oversell flights, and in some cases, they then need to find people to take alternative flights. Airlines first need to solicit volunteers, and they’ll typically offer some sort of travel credit or voucher to get people to agree to volunteer. When an airline simply solicits volunteers, I’d consider it to be a win-win, since everyone is happy with the arrangement.

However, Elliott Report has the story of a voluntary denied boarding that turned sour, and I can understand the customer’s frustration…

Delta backtracks on denied boarding compensation

A Delta Gold Medallion member was traveling from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Palm Springs (PSP) with his wife and infant daughter. Once onboard the aircraft, an announcement was made that one volunteer was needed — the announcement was allegedly that “Delta is looking for one volunteer to give up their seat in exchange for $15,000.”

The man immediately pressed his call button, confirmed the amount being offered twice (the flight attendant even reportedly checked with a gate agent), and then disembarked, leaving his wife and infant onboard.

But by the time the aircraft pushed back and started taxiing (without him onboard), the gate agent and supervisor informed him that the offer was actually for $1,500. The passenger claims he was accused of lying about the $15,000 promise, as the ground staff acted as if he made that up.

As the traveler explains, “they treated me like I’d invented the number out of thin air, but the flight attendant, the captain, and even Delta’s own emails later admitted the $15,000 offer was real.”

When he protested at the airport, he was told to file a complaint and contact customer service, but says he “felt humiliated” — “I’d just abandoned my wife and baby based on Delta’s word, now they were gaslighting me.”

In email communication after the fact, the airline acknowledged that the $15,000 number was “unintentionally” shared, but refused to honor it.

Also in email communication, the airline claimed that onboard announcements are recorded, and promised a resolution (which is a strange claim, because onboard announcements definitely aren’t recorded in that way). However, weeks later Delta came back with its best offer — the $1,500 in vouchers already offered, plus 20,000 SkyMiles.

As the email from Delta explained, “we kindly ask that you accept our decision and refrain from further requests,” and “please be advised our answer will remain the same and continued requests will not yield a different outcome.”

My take on this Delta denied boarding frustration

I can completely understand this passenger’s frustration. I’m sure the couple made the decision to split up because of the $15,000 offer, while they may not have done so for $1,500. And it’s especially unfortunate that by the time the passenger learned about the real amount, the plane was already gone, and the mistake couldn’t be undone.

In recent years, we’ve seen reports of some absolutely massive voluntary denied boarding compensation amounts, particularly at Delta. I’ve seen the numbers go as high as $10,000, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an amount higher than that.

I would’ve certainly been skeptical about the $15,000 amount. At the same time, if you actually double check with staff and they insist that it’s correct, then it seems like you did your due diligence, and should expect the airline to honor its commitment.

Certainly the right thing to do here would be to honor the amount promised, especially since Delta acknowledged that $15,000 amount was “unintentionally” shared. Presumably there would be a legal case for pursuing the amount that was promised. But whether that’s actually worth doing is a different story.

Bottom line

A Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Palm Springs was overbooked, and the airline needed one volunteer. The flight attendant reportedly announced an offer for $15,000, which a husband and father immediately took advantage of, after verifying that the amount was correct, leaving his wife and infant behind.

However, once in the terminal, after the aircraft departed, the gate agents informed him that the offer was $1,500, rather than $15,000. Initially they reportedly gaslighted him and pretended that amount was never offered, but in subsequent communication, the airline acknowledged that the amount was “unintentionally” shared.

Delta was unwilling to honor the offer, but did end up throwing in an extra 20,000 Delta SkyMiles.

What do you make of this Delta denied boarding situation?