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On busy travel days, flying can become profitable as passengers may sell their seats on overbooked flights. One Delta passenger recently capitalized on this by earning $5,000 in a single day. Initially, the passenger accepted $2,000 to give up their seat on an overbooked flight and take a later one. When that subsequent flight was also overbooked, they volunteered again and received an additional $3,000.
The passenger recounted the experience: "They wanted volunteers to give up their seat for an overbooked flight this afternoon. I run to the gate and me and an old lady got $2k each. They scheduled us for the night flight. We waited together the whole time and we actually sat together in the flight. We also discussed that if they need volunteers again we are gonna take it. As soon as we sat down, I heard the microphone about volunteers. I said I am doing it. I run and got $3k."
Travelers looking for similar opportunities should note that popular travel days alone do not guarantee such payouts since airlines often anticipate no-shows through predictive models. However, less predictable busy travel days tend to have higher instances of overbooking where airlines seek volunteers.
