I refuse to "voluntarily" give up a seat I have paid for, and am, in fact, occupying, and some

[Stonepounder]

116. I used to have a job that required a LOT of flying.

I taught computer classes to business with new computers. The classes were almost always at the client site and those sites ranged from (rarely) close enough to commute to places like Amsterdam and Tokyo, as well as all over the US and Canada. These companies paid a chunk of change for the class plus my expenses. I was usually booked 6-8 weeks in advance. So, when I got on a plane I needed to get to where I was going. If I missed my flight out or Fresno, CA on Sunday, there was no way I was going to be where I needed to be Monday morning and no way to contact the client. Getting 'bumped' was not an option and I too would have resisted being bumped.

If it was the homeward flight and the offered compensation got up to $1000 (which happened occasionally) then I would volunteer to be bumped because I knew I would use the voucher. I still have my American Airlines frequent flier card embossed with "2 Million Mile flier". I never saw someone 'involuntarily' bumped from a flight.