How Do I Get Compensated for Getting Bumped Off of My Delta Airlines Flight?

How Do I Get Compensated for Getting Bumped off of My Delta Airlines Flight?

Getting bumped off a flight is an unfortunate event that can occur when travelling. It can be cumbersome and cause a lot of inconvenience when it happens.

Getting bumped off a flight is completely legal and the airline can do it whenever they have to do so. Therefore, there is no legal action you can bring against an airline for doing so.

You are bumped off a flight when the airline overbooks the seats on the flight. Delta Airlines is permitted by Federal law to sell more tickets than are available due to the passengers that miss their flight which allows the flight to take off full.

However, Delta Airlines will do the best it can to treat bumped off customers with fairness and consistency. They will provide you will all the information they can about flight information when you get bumped off a flight.

You can know if a flight is overbooked by checking on your account at the airline website or at the airport customer service desk.

A crucial point to note is that Delta Airlines reserves the right to bump off a passenger at their discretion so receiving compensation is often difficult.

Receiving Compensation

Whenever a flight is overbooked, Delta airlines will first ask for volunteers to give up their seats. Only when they are not enough volunteers will they start bumping passengers off the plane. In that case, you will be involuntarily bumped off the flight.

The airline should compensate you whether you are voluntarily or involuntarily bumped off the flight. You will be required to present a written statement to the DoT (department of Transportation) when you are bumped off a flight regardless of the reason.

If you are voluntarily bumped off the fight, you will receive compensation through the Delta Airlines Choice Gift Card Program. There are situations where you may be compensated and others where you will receive nothing from Delta Airlines.

Situations that may lead you to not receiving compensation include if a smaller aircraft is changed for a larger one, if you were bumped off for weight & safety reasons, if you were downgraded from a higher class to a lower class and if you were bumped of a small plane or a charter plane.

You should definitely seek compensation if you were bumped off a flight where you had a confirmed reservation, checked in & arrived at the departure gate on time and if you cannot get another flight to the same destination arriving within an hour of your original arrival time.

The compensation you receive will often be determined by how long you have been delayed. Delays for domestic flights that last for more than one hour over the arrival time typically have a 200% refund and a 400% refund for delays over two hours.

For international flight delays lasting between one and four hours have a 200% refund while those lasting over four hours have a 400% refund.

If you are bumped off a Delta Airlines flight, if compensation is offered at the airport, you should receive it with the same day. If you receive transportation before Delta Airlines can compensate you, you will receive compensation within 24 hours of the bumping incident.

Your compensation can be in the form of cash or a bank account transfer. However, it is often in terms of Delta Airlines credit. Therefore, you will have to use the airline again to get your compensation.

To receive compensation, you can contact Delta Airline customer service at the airport or through their other contact avenues. You will find them all at GetHuman.