A few things that seem a little off from the accounts:<p>1) A flight attendant wouldn’t be the one to make the announcement. It would be the gate agent.<p>2) The Apple Pay part of the announcement is really weird. Airlines typically don’t hand out cash directly and even if they could, this isn’t how Apple Pay works. The payment usually comes in the form of a check or a credit voucher printed at the gate.<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if Delta offered the amount to gain a little positive press but I don’t believe some of the extraneous details.<p>To be clear, Involuntary Denied Boarding compensation, the kind you’re given when no one takes the bump offer, is soft-capped at $1550 - <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales" rel="nofollow">https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer...</a><p>Delta may have known there was no way they were going to get these passengers on other flights today and gave them more cash to try to make it a little easier to swallow.
I was on an oversold WestJet flight a few days ago and a $2400 voucher was announced to give up your seat. I was told the amount corresponded to the delay, and that it was "up to" $2400, with a flight leaving the same time the next day, which was the longest option mentioned being worth $1500. I didn't see any confirmation from someone receiving the $10,000 so I would guess it was the same situation.
As of April 13, 2021, the us dot indicates that passengers may not be involuntarily bumped once their boarding pass has been collected or scanned and the passenger has boarded.<p>if you took the 10k, you're a chump who probably passed up a seven sfigure settlement.