Delta offers nearly US$10,000 to flyers who give up seats

Delta is letting employees offer customers nearly $10,000 in compensation to give up seats on overbooked flights, hoping to avoid an uproar like the one that erupted at United after a passenger was dragged off a jet. In an internal memo, Delta said gate agents can offer up to US$2,000, up from a previous maximum of US$800, and supervisors can offer up to US$9,950, up from US$1,350. United is reviewing its own policies, including incentives for customers, and will announce any actions by April 30, a spokeswoman said. The airline would not disclose its current compensation limit. Other airlines said they were examining their policies. American Airlines updated its rules to say that no passenger who has boarded the plane will be removed to give the seat to someone else. None would describe their limits on passenger compensation. When there aren’t enough seats, airlines usually ask for volunteers by offering travel vouchers, gift cards or cash. Last year Delta got more passengers to give up their seats than any other US airline, partly by paying more than most of the others. As a result, it had the lowest rate among the largest US airlines of bumping people off flights against their will — something that is legal but alienates customers and requires the airline to pay compensation of up to $1,350 per person.<br/>