Realized my "cheap" flight trick was costing me more in the long run

I was at Denver airport last month, waiting for my 6 AM flight to Chicago that I booked for $49. The gate agent announced they needed volunteers to give up seats because of overbooking. I watched three people walk away with $400 vouchers each. Meanwhile I was stuck in a middle seat for 3 hours because I chose the no-frills airline that doesn't have standby flexibility. Made me wonder if anyone else has figured out when it's actually worth paying a bit more for a ticket that lets you snag those voucher deals?

2 comments

2 Comments

rayy8318h ago

Oh man that totally reminds me of this time we were flying home from Vegas. My buddy booked us on the super budget airline cause he found a $39 fare. We get to the gate and theyre asking for volunteers and offering like $300. We would have jumped on it but the next flight with that airline was 8 hours later and they dont have any agreement with the other carriers. So we just sat there watching people on Delta and United walk away with free money while we got nothing. Feels like you gotta pick your battles with these airlines.

roberts.troy17h ago

Exactly, you get to watch all the fancy airline people stroll off with a free flight voucher while you're stuck eating a $12 airport pretzel. That $39 fare suddenly feels like a trap when they can't even be bothered to rebook you on another carrier. I bet the budget airline gate agent was just standing there grinning like "sorry buddy, you paid for the Greyhound experience, not the full service." At least you didn't end up sleeping on the floor like some folks I've seen in Vegas. Next time just book the $89 flight that actually has a partner airline, even if it feels like throwing money away in the moment.