Don’t get bruised when bumped from flight Published May 21, 2015 Base Legal Office LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- We've all been there on TDY - waiting on an overbooked flight, wondering if we're going to get "bumped" from the flight. Rarely though do many people on official travel think about whether they get to keep the benefits or compensation earned in return for getting "bumped." The following advice could not only keep you out of trouble, it can also mean a free flight on your next vacation. Whether you can keep compensation or benefits from bumped from an overbooked flight during official travel turns on whether the bump was involuntary or whether you volunteered. As strange as it sounds, if you are involuntarily bumped from a flight, the benefits you get in return are property of the government. On the other hand, if you get the benefits or compensation in return for voluntarily giving up your seat to catch a later flight, you may keep any of that compensation - so long as: 1) taking the later flight doesn't result in additional cost to the Government, and 2) the delay will not interfere with the mission. (That means you can't claim extra per diem, hotel costs, etc. for the extra time spent away from home to take the later flight.) So, if you're on official travel, you've got the ability to take a later flight without interfering with the mission, and you are worried you might get bumped involuntarily, think about volunteering to give up your seat! It could mean the difference between sitting at home or on the beach during your next block of leave. For the specific rules, please consult the Joint Travel Regulations, Paragraphs 1300C.1 and 1300C.2. If you have any ethics questions, visit the Little Rock AFB Legal Office located on the second floor of Bldg 1250, or call (501) 987-7886.