An HVAC system includes at least one zone comprising a zone damper and a bypass comprising a bypass damper associated with a virtual zone. When an airflow of conditioned air to the at least one zone exceeds a maximum airflow value for the at least one zone and/or when other airflow reduction techniques have been exhausted, a system controller of the HVAC system controls the bypass damper to incrementally bypass a portion of conditioned air to the virtual zone. The portion of the conditioned air that is bypassed is a minimum amount of the conditioned air that is needed to reduce the airflow of the conditioned air below the maximum airflow value and keep the HVAC system running. Further, the system controller closes the bypass damper when a temperature of the portion of the conditioned air exceeds a threshold temperature value.