What am I owed if United bumps me from an oversold flight?

Involuntary denied boarding is the best-protected situation in US air travel, and the amount is set by regulation rather than by the airline. If you are bumped against your will from an oversold flight, the DOT requires cash compensation calculated from your one-way fare and how late the airline actually gets you to your destination — 200 per cent of the fare for a shorter arrival delay and 400 per cent for a longer one, each subject to a cap.

That payment is on top of your ticket: you still keep the flight you are rebooked onto, or a refund if you choose not to travel. And you are entitled to receive it in cash or by cheque. Airlines routinely offer a travel voucher instead, and you do not have to take one.

The distinction that decides these cases is voluntary versus involuntary. If you accepted a voucher at the gate in exchange for giving up your seat, that was a negotiated deal and these rules do not apply — which is precisely why gate agents ask for volunteers before bumping anyone. If you were bumped involuntarily, ask for the written statement of your denied boarding rights, which the airline is required to give you, and note your original and actual arrival times, because the size of the payment turns entirely on that gap.