It’s the $1,500 question.
A passenger who declined the offer to give up her seat on an oversold flight for $1,500 in cold, hard cash has gone viral on TikTok as shocked viewers question her judgment for giving up such a good deal.
“I hate [that] my [annual] leave ends today, cuz I wanted to give up this seat for that $1500,” the text on the clip read.
The video, posted by @collinskaye, shows a woman in her seat on the plane while an announcement from a flight attendant is heard in the background.
“Who’s gonna take it? $1,500,” the attendant asked — and just seconds later it appeared someone had taken the offer as the attendant said, “Alright … got it.”
After clarifying that the money was in cash form, she added that the unnamed airline offered a free one-night stay at a nearby hotel and a flight rescheduled for the next morning.
Many people in the comments felt for the passenger who couldn’t miss the flight, while also saying that they wouldn’t have hesitated.
“You better than me. I would’ve already been at hotel checking into my room,” one person wrote.
“I would’ve called ’em and extended me leave QUICK,” another said.
“The job would have been mad at me! I would take a write-up for 1500!” someone quipped.
“Baby I would have gotten up so quick…f that leave,” a user commented.
“I would have given my seat up real quick and would have said my flight was having issues lol,” someone else admitted.
“Girl, you should’ve got up and tell them ppl your flight got canceled,” another wrote.
According to the Department of Transportation, airlines may occasionally bump passengers — also known as “denied boarding” — when more passengers are scheduled to fly than available seats.
Bumping “is not illegal” and happens when airlines oversell scheduled flights “to a certain extent” in order to compensate for “no-shows.”
The DOT says that bumped passengers are NOT eligible for compensation in the following 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 price 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 have a confirmed reservation.
- You checked-in to your flight on time.
- You arrived at the departure gate on time.
- The airline cannot get you to your destination within one hour of your flight’s original arrival time.
