Why do airlines overbook flights and what are your rights if you can’t get a seat?

WHETHER you’re heading out to begin your holiday or trying to get home after enjoying one, it’s safe to say that turning up at the airport to find that your flight has been overbooked is not an ideal situation.

Many travellers have been caught off guard by the practice, but it is actually fairly common in the airline world.

Why do airlines overbook flights?

Though it may come as a surprise to holiday-makers, most airlines intentionally overbook flights by selling more tickets than available seats for a journey.

The practice is not illegal and is done because airline anticipate a number of people that have bought tickets simply not showing up on the day of travel.

Travel experts have warned that as many as 150 tickets are sold for every 100 seats available.

One airline, British Airways, has admitted that it has overbooked around 500,000 seats in a single year, and it “bumps” around 24,000 customers during that time from flights.

What happens if you are on an overbooked flight?

Airlines overbook flights as they do not expect everyone who has booked a ticket to show up.

There are, of course, some situations where more people do turn up to travel than there are seats for.

In these cases, airlines have to remove passengers before boarding begins.

They start by asking for volunteers who are offered compensation – usually in the form of money, a hotel room, and a seat on the next available flight.

Some companies even offer free return tickets to a destination of the customer’s choosing.

If no one volunteers, however, then the airline may be forced to remove paying customers “involuntarily”.

How will an airline decide who gets “bumped” from an overbooked flight?

Staff can select a passenger for removal based on the price of their ticket and the time of their booking.

They may also decide to bump those who are travelling alone or without luggage that would then need to be returned to them.

Customers who were the last to check in could also be candidates for removal.

Companies can also select people at random using a computer program.

Elderly passengers and frequent flyers are unlikely to be chosen first.

What are your rights if you are on an overbooked flight?

According to , airlines are “legally obliged to pay you compensation if they deny you boarding or bump you from a flight because they’ve overbooked it”.

Passengers who are forcibly bumped are entitled to cash compensation, with the amount based on when an alternate flight arranged for them would arrive at their destination.

Some passengers, who do not have a pressing appointment and want to make some extra cash, can volunteer to be removed from the flight.

In this situation, the negotiation is casual and there are no industry regulations determining how much the airline should give you.

In 2021, lawyer Erika Kullberg shared a viral video explaining how passengers are entitled to freebies from an airline if a flight is overbooked.

She explained that you can get hotel rooms, free meals, and free transfers, as well as the cash compensation.