Why do airlines overbook flights?

It can be for a number of reasons ranging from airlines booking more people than seats because not everyone shows up right to them using a smaller plane than anticipated.

Oh, so the plane is overbooked. What happens now?

If this happens, then the Denied Boarding Regulation asks that said airline must ask for people to volunteer to give up their seat in exchange for benefits. If no one volunteers, then they can deny boarding to passengers against their will. This is when things get a little tricky.

How do they decide who gets to stay on the plane?

Priority will always be given to persons with reduced mobility and anyone flying with them.

What’s the difference between volunteering and being denied boarding?

First thing – whether you volunteer or have no choice, the airline must let you choose a different flight or give you the option of a refund.

If you volunteer to give up your seat (also known as ‘being bumped’), it’s up to you and the airline to decide on compensation. They might also throw in a few extras, such as vouchers or cash, to make the wait at the airport a little easier but this depends very much on the airline.

How much compensation would I get if I’m denied boarding?

If it’s not your choice, you are entitled to compensation depending on the length of the flight you’ve been bumped from and the new flight you’ve been offered.

For flights that cover less then 1,500km

• For delays less than two hours, you’ll get €125
• If it’s longer than two hours, you’ll get €250

For flights that cover 1,500km to 3,500km

• For delays less than three hours, you’ll get €200
• If it’s longer than three hours, you’ll get €400

For flights than cover 3,500km

• For delays less than four hours, you’ll get €300
• If it’s longer than four hours, you’ll get €600

And if I want to avoid being bumped…?

Check-in early

Some airlines tend to go with the people who paid the least for their flight, but sometimes they pick on the folk who arrived a little late at the gate or checked-in last.

Board when your row is called

If you hear your row being called, don’t wait for the queue to go down. If they don’t know you’re there by the time they move onto the next, they might think you’re a no-show.

Become a frequent-flyer

Yeah, so this one is easier said than done, but if you’re known to fly a lot with an airline, they’re less likely to bump you from a flight.

Pick an off-peak flight

Again this isn’t something that everyone has the luxury of doing, but if you can avoid flying when it’s busier then the flight probably won’t be overbooked.

Read those pesky T&Cs

They’re not fun, they’re usually in stupidly small fonts and most seem to be written in gobbledegook, but it’s full of important info which will let you know that airlines policy before the bumping happens. As the Boy Scouts would say – always be prepared.

Book with an airline that doesn’t oversell

JetBlue is very much against overbooking of flights. So much so that they even have a policy in place to make sure they don’t do it.

Fly business or first class

This one is a little out there but if you can afford it then it drastically lowers your odds of being bumped.