It’s the $1,500 query.
A passenger who declined the offer to provide up her seat on an oversold flight for $1,500 in cold, hard money has gone viral on TikTok as shocked viewers query her judgment for giving up such a very good deal.
“I hate [that] my [annual] leave ends today, cuz I wanted to provide up this seat for that $1500,” the text on the clip read.
The video, posted by @collinskaye, shows a girl in her seat on the plane while an announcement from a flight attendant is heard within the background.
“Who’s gonna take it? $1,500,” the attendant asked — and just seconds later it appeared someone had taken the offer because the attendant said, “Alright … got it.”
After clarifying that the cash was in money form, she added that the unnamed airline offered a free one-night stay at a close-by hotel and a flight rescheduled for the subsequent morning.
Many individuals within the comments felt for the passenger who couldn’t miss the flight, while also saying that they wouldn’t have hesitated.
“You higher than me. I might’ve already been at hotel checking into my room,” one person wrote.
“I might’ve called ’em and prolonged me leave QUICK,” one other said.
“The job would have been mad at me! I might take a write-up for 1500!” someone quipped.
“Baby I might have gotten up so quick…f that leave,” a user commented.
“I might have given my seat up real quick and would have said my flight was having issues lol,” another person admitted.
“Girl, you need to’ve got up and tell them ppl your flight got canceled,” one other wrote.
Based on the Department of Transportation, airlines may occasionally bump passengers — also generally known as “denied boarding” — when more passengers are scheduled to fly than available seats.
Bumping “shouldn’t be illegal” and happens when airlines oversell scheduled flights “to a certain extent” with a view to compensate for “no-shows.”
The DOT says that bumped passengers are NOT eligible for compensation in the next situations:
- A smaller aircraft change for safety or operational reasons.
- Weight and balance restrictions.
- Downgrading to a lower class — though these passengers are entitled to a refund for the value difference.
- Charter flights.
- Small aircrafts holding fewer than 30 passengers.
- Flights departing a foreign location.
Bumped passengers ARE eligible for compensation in these situations:
- You’ve gotten a confirmed reservation.
- You checked-in to your flight on time.
- You arrived on the departure gate on time.
- The airline cannot get you to your destination inside one hour of your flight’s original arrival time.
