Delta Air Lines provided passengers with nearly $ 10,000 to switch flights

According to A Inc.'sreport , passengers with oversold Delta tickets are for themselves and other passengers to abandon their seats and travel at a later date. He said he was offered $ 10,000. Jason Aten, a technical columnist at

Inc., said that he and his family recently traveled on a Delta flight to Minneapolis, and for oversold flight passengers, not flight credits. He said he was offered $ 10,000 in cash. Their seat. 

Delta looked for eight volunteers, according to Aten's description of theevent. "If you have Apple Pay, you can still get the money," said Flight Attendant, Aten.

This incident occurred when passengers were suffering from airline delays and flight cancellations The weekend of July 4th was expected to be chaotic for airlines and travelers. Approximately 3.5 million people are expected to fly this holiday weekend amid increased COVID-19 infections, staff shortages, and widespread flight delays. increase. 

Aten did not volunteer to give up his seat, and Delta declined to comment on the case. However, airlines have generally confirmed that in order to take off planes in a timely manner, instead of abandoning seats on overbooked flights, they offer passengers various levels of compensation. 

"The ability to provide full flight compensation allows employees to take care of their customers and take off their aircraft on time," a Delta spokeswoman said. Said in a statement to CBSMoneyWatch. 

Maximum payment limit increased in 2017

CNBC Reportshows that Delta will indemnify passengers switching flights in 2017 Raised the limit. 

Policy changes allow the company's customer service agents to offer passengers compensation of $ 9,950 from a maximum payment of $ 1,350. Aten said he was offered $ 10,000 to switch flights, but according to Delta's policy, the exact number was probably $ 9,950. 

"We will raise the maximum permissible limit for voluntary denial boarding (VDB) throughout the system to enhance our commitment to agents and our ability to care for our customers," Delta Air Lines said in 2017. Said in the year. Staff memo obtained by CNBC. 

A voluntarily denied boarding is when the customer volunteers to hit the plane in exchange for compensation. 

To avoid headaches at the airport, experts advise travelers to fly direct flights as much as possible and check their luggage. Two buffers if you are traveling for a significant event, avoiding at least one day or in case the flight is canceled or delayed.