Most airlines oversell flights, and sometimes this leads to airlines having to bump passengers. This can come in two forms — voluntary and involuntary denied boarding. In this post I’d like to take a look at that topic more broadly, and specifically talk about what compensation you’re due in the event that you’re involuntarily denied boarding from a flight.
Some passengers may show up to the airport too late, while other passengers might cancel their tickets last minute, while other passengers may miss their connection due to flight delays. Airlines use incredibly complex models to forecast these kinds of things, and most of the time, they work out perfectly. However, airlines aren’t going to get stuff right all the time, and as a result, there are occasionally situations where more passengers have checked in than the plane has seats.
Sometimes airlines even sell seats when they know it’s likely that they’ll need to bump people. Why? Because they’d rather take cash for an expensive, last minute ticket, and then give someone an airline credit for taking a different flight.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
