nsx

38. How much compensation will I get for volunteering to be bumped? Can I use a paper travel voucher to buy a ticket online?

a. (WN LUVS U/uastarflyer) Usually the compensation offer is either $100 or $200 plus the face value of your ticket, all in the form of a travel voucher. Compensation will vary depending on next flight availability, irregular operations, and how much they are overbooked. It is customary to offer either $100 or $200 in compensation. Normally speaking...if the Customer is confirmed on the next flight, they receive $100 plus the face value of their ticket. If an overnight stay is required or no guarantee of another flight, they receive $200 plus the face of their ticket. Rapid Reward tickets get zero for their face value, although some have reported getting an imputed face value of $50.

b. (Nevada1K) $258 in vouchers bought me five LAX-LAS roundtrips (@ $49 each; apparently, either the PFC or segment tax is not applied when using a bump voucher, as this was $6 less than a "cash" ticket). Those ten segments also count towards my 16 segments for a RR award ticket

c. (Mr. July) You can use the vouchers to purchase any non-internet fare (i.e. if it's bookable over the phone, you can use a voucher to pay for it). The problem is that most of those fares require ticketing within 24 hours of booking - and thus a trip to the airport. If you live more than an hour away, you can (maybe) get a supervisor to extend the time you have to ticket, but it's not a given. If I remember right, you get the PFC waived if you're purchasing with vouchers, but once you introduce ticketed funds and/or cash, you've got to pay the added tax. Also, you can't co-mingle ticketless funds and vouchers (yet another good reason to make these ticketless). Finally, all of the discussion about the Y fares assumes one fact: since these reservations can be put on hold until the flight, and you have to go to the airport to catch the flight, you can simply wait to ticket with vouchers until day-of in those cases (although for peak periods, like Thanksgiving where the counter will be a zoo and I may not be checking luggage, I already took care of it). The only risk is that the fare may go up a few bucks in the meantime.

d. (4thplz) Travel vouchers are non-transferable. The person named on the voucher needs to go to the airport in person to redeem the voucher, but the traveler can be anyone you like.

e. (nsx/73G) You cannot use a paper travel voucher to purchase a ticket online. It is rumored that bump vouchers will change to electronic credits, probably similar to gift cards. When this will happen is anyone's guess. Until then, Southwest may offer you a work-around on request. If approved, you will be told to purchase your travel online and mail in proof of purchase along with your paper voucher for credit back to your credit card.

(nsx) If a travel voucher is about to expire, you can send it in and request a 6-month extension. According to Mr. July, you can ask for this extension at the ticket counter and they will likely give it to you with their inkpad and stamps. As to the optimum oversell strategy, it seems to me that the airline serves both passengers and itself best if it gets the people who are most willing to trade their time for money. A single compensation "price" will accomplish this result. A price that varies according to the ticketed fare will not, since low-fare and RR customers will probably not volunteer. (We who shop for the lowest fare can't stand not getting the best deal.) I suggest an offer of a $100 travel voucher, then $200 if necessary, then $300. Everyone gets the final price (reverse Dutch auction). Plus of course the next available flight out. Simple and familiar to passengers who fly other airlines. Issuing an electronic credit should be as easy as creating a fake itinerary, funding it with $X, and canceling it.

f. (nsx) In the unlikely event that enough people do not volunteer and Southwest denies you boarding involuntarily, your compensation is twice the fare you paid to your next destination, up to a maximum of $400. This amount is cut in half if Southwest gets you on a flight estimated to arrive less than 2 hours later than the flight on which you were denied boarding. If you are bumped involuntarily, you are entitled to cash compensation (actually a check) if you prefer that to a voucher.