"If You Get Off Now, You Get 4.3 Million Won" Delta Passengers Compete to Volunteer

Delta Air Lines Seeks Volunteers to Disembark Due to Aircraft Weight Issue
Online Users Share Similar Experiences in Comments

At Delta Air Lines in the United States, an announcement seeking passengers to disembark due to a balance adjustment issue led to a competition among passengers eager to get off the plane. On April 23 (local time), foreign media outlets such as the New York Post reported, citing a post on the largest English-speaking online community, that Delta Air Lines offered a significant amount of compensation to passengers willing to disembark, resulting in passengers competing to volunteer.

At Delta Air Lines in the United States, an announcement was made seeking passengers to disembark the plane due to balance adjustment issues, leading to a competition among passengers eager to get off. Photo by Getty Images Photo by Getty Images Yonhap News

Previously, a post titled "Delta Air Lines offered $3,000 (about 4.3 million won) if you got off the plane right after boarding, so I immediately raised my hand" was uploaded to Reddit. The author, identified as A, wrote, "This happened on the morning of April 21, and I still can't believe it. I had booked a Delta Air Lines flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Seattle, scheduled to depart at 7:50 a.m. It was the Monday after Easter, and the flight was fully booked," describing the situation at the time. According to A, while seated and waiting for departure, an airline staff member approached and said, "We are looking for two volunteers to get off the plane due to a fuel readjustment issue. The compensation is $3,000."

A said they volunteered without hesitation. However, not only A but also other passengers raised their hands. As soon as the two volunteers disembarked, they each received a $2,000 (about 2.87 million won) voucher and a $1,000 (about 1.43 million won) voucher from Delta Air Lines. A explained, "Delta Air Lines said they could not issue a voucher over $2,000 at once, so they split it up."

According to aviation magazine AeroTime, Delta Air Lines staff discovered a weight issue with the aircraft as boarding was nearly complete, and as a result, several passengers needed to disembark in order for the flight to Seattle to proceed. In addition to A, 22 other passengers reportedly got off the plane, each receiving $1,700 (about 2.43 million won) in compensation. Delta Air Lines ended up spending a total of $43,400 (about 6.22 million won) in compensation for the day due to the aircraft issue.

The post also attracted comments from others who had similar experiences. One commenter said, "I also once received a $3,000 gift card." Another user wrote, "I saw a similar situation at Detroit Airport. It started at $500, then increased to $1,000 just before boarding, and after boarding, when they needed one more volunteer, they offered $1,500. Someone at the back shouted $1,800, and it ended at $1,800."