TikTok Shows Delta Passengers Being Offered $4,000 to Voluntarily Exit Overbooked Flight

Delta Airlines recently held an unusual auction to clear passengers off an overbooked flight from Boston to Rome.

Footage posted to TikTok shows a flight attendant addressing a packed airplane in the style of an auctioneer, offering passengers traveling solo a $4,000 payday, along with a hotel room for the night, if they waited for the next flight. “You can go shopping via gift card,” the flight attendant can be heard saying to entice the crowd, who seem surprisingly unenthused at the offer.

“Who wants to take one for the team? Come on guys, $3,500! Somebody take one for the team,” she begs, as one man stands only to enter the restroom.

Once the flight attendant promises hotel accommodations, though, two people shoot up from their seats and race to the front. “Whoever comes first!” she warns the encroaching passengers. The TikTok user who originally recorded the video reported that around 13 passengers ultimately disembarked the plane, each accepting $2,000–$4,000 to do so.

While it may sound insane to give away nearly $50,000, this is actually the way airlines save money. If no passengers voluntarily vacated their seats, Delta would’ve been forced to engage in “involuntary bumping.” Department of Transportation laws require reimbursement for 200 percent of the cost of a one-way ticket for delays under two hours. If the delay is longer, 400 percent of the fee must be returned to the customer.

One-way Delta tickets from Boston to Rome cost between $800 for economy and $6,000 for first class, on average. That means that someone involuntarily bumped could earn between $3,200and $24,000 for the inconvenience.

In the future, airline passengers are best advised to hold tight and wait for a better offer.