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It could be you. It could be any of us. You don’t even know there’s a problem, but there is. And you only find out when it’s too late to do much about it.
We are talking, of course, about the universally unpleasant experience of finding yourself on an overbooked flight. Picture this.
Your carrier sold 250 seats for the Boeing 737 you are due to fly on today, and 245 passengers have checked in.
The trouble is, there are only 230 seats on the plane, which means 15 will be denied boarding — or ‘bumped’, as airlines like to say.
You’re probably thinking, why me? Why, of the 245 people queued up at the check-in desk, did they decide that my journey mattered least?
We’re here to answer that, and tell you why you should never put your hand up to take the next flight.
What is overbooking?
In short, it’s selling more seats for a flight than there are seats available.
Airlines aim to predict, using historical data, how many ‘no shows’ there will be for in-demand flights.
In other words, they take a punt on people who don’t turn up to make sure the plane still flies full.
‘Overbooking isn’t a mistake,’ explains Anton Radchenko, an aviation expert and CEO of flight compensation company AirAdvisor.
‘Airlines do it deliberately and legally, calculating that a percentage of passengers won’t show up.’
It doesn’t happen often, but when that calculation is wrong and you’re denied boarding, the law treats it like a long delay or cancellation.
Discovering your flight has been overbooked can be incredibly stressful, says Alicia Hempsted, Travel Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket, particularly if you’re travelling with family or working to a tight schedule.
Some airlines, such as Jet2 and Ryanair, never overbook. BUT:
Airlines (those two included) can also bump passengers for operational reasons, such as a last-minute switch to a smaller aircraft, crew scheduling issues, or weight restrictions.
This happened in the States just a few weeks back.
A Frontier Airlines passenger was denied boarding at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, after they switched the aircraft operating his flight to Denver.
The good news is that airlines are liable, not passengers.
How do airlines decide who they offload?
In the UK, it’s generally the passengers who are last to check in.
Passengers travelling with cabin baggage only are also more likely to get bumped, because it avoids the complication of pulling bags from the hold.
A warning sign is when your boarding pass has no seat number, so if you cop that you have one of those, it’s important to know what comes next.
And how does it happen?
Under aviation rights rules, airlines are entitled to overbook. It is legal.
If too many people turn up, they are supposed to seek out volunteers who agree to give up their seats.
The law states: ‘When an operating air carrier reasonably expects to deny boarding on a flight, it shall first call on volunteers to surrender their reservations in exchange for benefits.’
If nobody puts their hand up, airlines move on to step two, which – under law – allows them to deny boarding to passengers against their will.
What do I get if I’m ‘bumped’?
In the UK and Europe – or indeed, anywhere in the world if you’re flying on a British or EU airline – you should be rebooked on any carrier that can get you to your destination as soon as possible.
You are also entitled to compensation on a sliding scale, depending on how long the flight is or how delayed you will be.
This ranges from £110 for a short-haul trip when you arrive more than two hours late, right up to £520 for a long-haul journey touching down four or more hours behind schedule.
The airline may also be required to reimburse reasonable expenses such as meals, refreshments and where necessary, accommodation, that are incurred as a result of the disruption.
Ask about this as soon as possible, Alicia advises, because ‘if they aren’t able to provide you with food vouchers, it’s important that you keep receipts or document additional costs, which you can use to reclaim some costs later’.
And if you find yourself in this situation, remember to keep your head.
If you volunteer to be bumped, you’re swapping your statutory compensation for whatever the airline offers you at the gate.
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And according to Anton Radchenko, it’s usually worth less.
If you’re forcibly bumped, UK airlines are obligated to compensate you, and in the EU you must be compensated and rescheduled onto a new flight.
Most passengers don’t realise that volunteering your seat for a voucher is a different deal entirely.
‘Know what you’re entitled to before you get there, and don’t sign away your rights for a voucher,’ Anton advises.
Don’t panic and book yourself another flight without speaking to the airline first.
‘If the airline is responsible for arranging alternative transport, making your own arrangements may complicate proceedings and make it more difficult to recover those costs,’ Alicia explains.
Does travel insurance cover overbooking?
Travel insurance doesn’t typically cover it as standard, although some policies or add-ons may provide cover for certain associated losses.
However, even if this is a policy that appears to be all singing, all dancing, Alicia says customers shouldn’t assume they will automatically be covered.
‘Whether your claim will be accepted depends on your individual policy, so double-check your policy wording on travel delays, missed departures, and alternative transport,’ she says.
‘In the situation where the airline asks for volunteers to give up their seats, don’t agree without first establishing what the airline and your insurance will cover.
‘Passengers who voluntarily give up their seat in exchange for benefits offered by the airline may not be entitled to the same statutory compensation rights as those who are involuntarily denied boarding, so you will need to negotiate your own benefits package instead.
‘A voluntary arrangement may also be treated differently by your insurer, depending on your individual policy, and this can affect your cover.’
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