"We'll Give You 8 Million Won" ... Passengers Still Didn't Budge: Why No One Gave Up Their Seat

Delta Air Lines Offers $6,000 in Compensation for Overbooking

Cases of Passengers Receiving Hotels, Cash and More for Giving Up Seats

Inadequate Airline Compensation Terms... Claims for Consumer Relief Rise

As cases of “overbooking,” in which airlines sell more tickets than there are seats, become more common and passengers continue to suffer, reports say that one U.S. airline offered up to about 8 million won in compensation for passengers willing to give up their seats, but no volunteers came forward. Even the high compensation offer appears to have been insufficient to offset the inconvenience and losses caused by changing travel plans. With incidents continuing to occur, calls are growing for airlines to revise their compensation standards and terms and conditions.

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According to the U.S. online media outlet The Daily Dot on October 26, a TikTok user recently posted a video saying that a Delta Air Lines flight they were scheduled to take was overbooked.

The user said the airline initially offered $800 (about 1.1 million won) to passengers willing to give up their seats. When no one volunteered, the compensation offer rose to $6,000 (about 7.9 million won), but ultimately no passengers agreed to give up their seats.

The video received about 380,000 likes and more than 2,000 comments. Some commenters shared stories of giving up their seats in exchange for a hotel stay, cash and a free flight, then returning the next day in first class. Another user claimed that they were offered $5,000 per person on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago, and that their family of four accepted the offer and received a total of $20,000 (about 26.5 million won).

Why Do Airlines Sell More Tickets Than There Are Seats?

Overbooking is the practice of airlines selling more tickets than there are actual seats, taking into account the possibility of cancellations or passengers not showing up. If more passengers board than expected, there may not be enough seats.

In such cases, airlines seek passengers willing to give up their seats voluntarily by offering compensation and alternative flights. However, passengers who voluntarily give up their seats must be distinguished from cases in which an airline denies boarding, and compensation terms vary depending on the circumstances.

Inadequate Airline Compensation Terms... Claims for Redress on the Rise

A recent review by the Korea Consumer Agency of the passenger transport terms and conditions of 22 domestic and foreign airlines found that 21 (95.5%) either had no separate compensation provisions for flight cancellations caused by the airline or left compensation decisions to the airline’s discretion.

Two foreign airlines did not clearly specify their liability for compensation when passengers were denied boarding due to overbooking, or allowed the airline to choose how to provide compensation. The review also identified cases in which passengers denied boarding because of overselling were not provided with alternative flights and were refused both refunds of their fares and compensation.

Claims for redress over harm related to air passenger transport services rose more than sixfold in four years, from 485 in 2021 to 3,201 in 2025. Of the claims filed in 2025, 565, or 17.7%, concerned failure to provide transport or delays. The Korea Consumer Agency said it would recommend that airlines revise terms and conditions that disadvantage consumers and discuss ways to improve the system with the relevant government agencies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.