Name Your Price to be Kicked Off a United Flight

Air travel during the holidays can be as enjoyable as a root canal procedure at the dentist’s office. Crowds, screaming kids, long lines and inevitable delays are just the tip of the air-travel iceberg when it comes to flying late November–early January. In an effort to improve its image and take a tiny bit of stress out of holiday travel, United decided to give travelers the freedom to name the payout they would accept in order to remove themselves from an overbooked flight.

In early November, United Airlines introduced this system on its website. When travelers book a flight that could potentially face an overbooking, they will be prompted to enter a dollar amount they would accept in order to be bumped off the flight and placed on another. When travelers check in for the reserved flight, they also can indicate whether their plans are flexible enough to be moved from the flight if necessary. Travelers can select pre-determined amounts, such as $100, $200 or $500, or they can enter their own amount into the system.

If the flight does indeed become overbooked, United will inspect the list of bids and choose the lowest amounts to reschedule onto another flight. Although only the lowest bids will be considered, having flexibility in your flight itinerary may be rewarding.