Delta offers woman $1,800 to change her Miami flight for 3 hours later. So she does what any fashion girl would’ve done: ‘My loyalty finally paid off’
Taking a flight is a neutral experience at best and a draining, frustrating one at worst. Sometimes, though, something that happens during it can end up making your whole week.
That’s exactly what happened to one woman traveling to Miami with Delta.
In a viral video with over 1.4 million views, TikToker Natalia Banoss (@nataliabanoss) reveals the compensation she received after getting “bumped” to a flight departing three hours later.
“Delta paying me $1,200 for changing my flight to Miami 3 hrs later,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay as she filmed herself sitting on the plane. “What bag should I buy? Help.”
In the caption, she revealed the amount she ultimately received was even higher.
“Update: it increased to $1800,” she wrote. “Straight to the Design District! Thank you, Delta.”
Why Did Delta Pay The Passenger to Change Her Flight?
Very often, airlines sell more tickets than there are seats. They do this to make sure the plane is as full as possible and to maximize their profit.
To calculate how many additional seats they should sell, airlines use data from past departures of that, according to Britannica.
Of course, those calculations don’t always pan out. When more passengers show up than there are seats, the airline has a problem.
In those situations, some carriers, including Delta, offer compensation to passengers willing to voluntarily get “bumped.” Those who agree to take a later departure can sometimes make thousands of dollars, just as Natalia demonstrated in her video.
A Delta spokesperson told Newsweek about the practice, “The ability to provide compensation for volunteers to take later flights when a flight is full empowers our employees’ efforts to care for customers and to ensure on-time departures.”
Has This Happened to Other Travelers?
In the comments section, other passengers shared similar stories.
“Once my husband and I got $2500 each for switching our flight to the next morning,” one viewer shared. “Guess what the flight kept getting delayed anyways and the flight we were supposed to be on left an hour before us.”
“United gave me $3000, paid for the hotel to stay the night, with Ubers included and upgraded my airline and seat to premium to fly out the next day,” another wrote. “I literally traveled for free everywhere for a year.”
“Yaaaas! Love when this happens,” stated a third. “I once got $800 for switching to a flight 55 minutes later, by the time they switched me over I waited maybe 10 minutes and I was on the next plane.”
@nataliabanoss update it increased to $1800. straight to the design district! thank you delta ? #delta ♬ sonido original – ??
The Mary Sue has reached out to Natalia via Instagram messages and Delta via contact form for comment.
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