Q. Earlier this year, I was flying Delta from Atlanta to Philadelphia when an agent asked me if I'd be interested in getting off the flight in exchange for a $300 voucher and taking a later flight. I agreed and was given the $300 voucher, good for 12 months. My plan was to use the voucher on an overseas trip with my family within the year. However, Delta did not honor the voucher when the family trip was booked because the trip was through Delta's vacation club. So, now I have only a couple weeks left on this non-transferable, non-extendable voucher. Unfortunately, I'm unable to travel within the next couple of weeks due to business commitments.
Is there any recourse for me, outside of losing value of the voucher?
A. If you were bumped due to an oversell situation, you should definitely not have been given a voucher. Delta should have given you cash. Airlines have been fined by the US DOT for offering vouchers rather than cash in oversell situations. Read this for example.
If you were indeed bumped because of an oversell, you should contact the airline and inform them that they were in violation of DOT rules and ask that the voucher be made into an all-cash compensation.
