What Does Overbooked Mean?

What does overbooked mean?

An overbooked flight is one where the airline has sold more tickets than there are seats on the aircraft. Airlines do this deliberately because, on a typical flight, a predictable number of passengers do not show up, whether they missed a connection, changed plans, or simply skipped the flight. By selling a few extra seats, the airline aims to fly full even after the no-shows. Most of the time this works out and no one notices. But when more passengers show up than expected, the flight is oversold and there are not enough seats for everyone, so the airline must ask some people to give up their seats, a process known as bumping or denied boarding. Overbooking is legal, and it is the setup that leads to bumping.

Why do airlines overbook?

It comes down to filling seats and revenue. Empty seats on a departed flight earn nothing, and since a reliable share of booked passengers do not show, airlines sell a calculated number of extra tickets to compensate. The goal is to have the plane leave as full as possible, which keeps fares lower across the board and uses the aircraft efficiently. Airlines rely on data and models to predict no-show rates for each route and time, and they usually get it right, so overbooking rarely causes a problem. Not every airline overbooks; some sell only as many tickets as seats. But for those that do, the practice is a numbers game that mostly stays invisible to travelers until the rare oversold flight.

What happens if you get bumped?

First, the airline asks for volunteers. According to the DOT, when a flight is oversold the airline must seek passengers willing to give up their seats voluntarily in exchange for compensation before bumping anyone against their will. If you volunteer, you negotiate a deal, often a travel voucher or payment plus a later flight, so ask about the next confirmed flight and any restrictions before agreeing. If not enough people volunteer, the airline bumps passengers involuntarily using its boarding priority rules. Those denied boarding involuntarily are rebooked on another flight at no charge and, in most cases, are owed cash compensation. Note that once you have boarded, the airline generally cannot bump you except for safety, security, or similar reasons.

What compensation do you get?

For involuntary bumping on flights leaving a U.S. airport, DOT rules set minimum cash compensation based on how late the substitute flight gets you in. If the airline gets you to your destination within 1 hour of your original arrival, no compensation is due. If you arrive 1 to 2 hours late on a domestic flight (1 to 4 hours internationally), you are owed 200 percent of your one-way fare, up to 775 dollars. If you arrive more than 2 hours late domestically (over 4 hours internationally), or the airline arranges no substitute, the minimum doubles to 400 percent of your one-way fare, up to 1,550 dollars. This must be paid by cash or check, not just a voucher, and the airline can always offer more. Volunteers, by contrast, get whatever they negotiate.