This morning, despite having a valid boarding pass, being completely checked in with bags paid for and everything 2 hours ahead of time, I got bumped off my direct flight from EWR to MTJ. The flight was apparently completely oversold, and it came down to me and one other woman getting bumped. I was eventually re-booked on a later flight, and after a comped hour-long taxi ride from EWR to LGA, I’m back on my way to MTJ. Although my schedule for today was pushed back a bit, I did learn a bit about getting compensated when you get bumped.

Continental apparently offers a minimum of a $300 travel voucher if you get bumped. The agents at the gate are authorized to give this out to anyone who is bumped. However, with a little investigation, I learned that it’s possible sometimes to get up to 200% of your original fare as compensation. According to Continental’s Rules.

So, next time you get bumped, it may be worth it to hold out on taking the paltry $300, and give customer service a call and see what they can do for you.