Flight passenger says major airline offered thousands of dollars to travelers willing to give up seats

A traveler is sharing what appears to be a rare offer from an airline that enticed passengers to give up their seats on a flight.

In the "r/delta" Reddit forum, the flyer titled a post, "$2800 to give up your seat."

"Never saw an offer go this high. Going from Seattle to Palm Springs last week. Got to the gate and there was chaos," said the post.

The user wrote that due to mechanical issues the plane was swapped out for a smaller one, prompting the airline to ask passengers to give up their seats. 

"Initial offer was $1000 a seat, not Delta miles or credit, but an actual Visa gift card worth $1000 and a hotel voucher," the post continued.

"Two people jumped at $2200, another guy took $2500, and finally an older couple took $2800. As they were leaving they said, 'We're using the money to pay off our car,'" the user wrote.

"Do they also make that offer to people waiting for someone to give up their ticket[?]" the user asked.

On Delta's website under Contract of Carriage, rule 20 lists denied boarding compensation.

"Before denying boarding to any passenger holding a confirmed reservation on an oversold flight, Delta will ask other passengers on the flight to voluntarily give up their seat in exchange for compensation in an amount and form to be determined by Delta in its sole discretion," the rule says.

Flyers took to the comments section to discuss their experiences and thoughts on passengers giving up their seats.

"It can happen...the longer people hesitate the higher amount," said one user. 

"I'd sleep in the airport for $2,800. I tried for $1,200 once but two people in the front beat me," said another.

"It's amazing how many people jump up for a few hundred knowing they will always go up," a user wrote.

Brandon Blewett, the Texas-based author of "How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes," told Fox News Digital that these offers often start at check-in with prompts in the airline's app or kiosk.

"If there aren't enough volunteers early on, gate agents will escalate offers, sometimes including alternative flights on other airlines or even cash-equivalent gift cards like Visa or AmEx," he said.