Because airlines routinely overbook flights to insure against no-shows, some passengers must get bumped from their flight to one later. Still, only about 1 out of every 1,000 passengers gets bumped, and nine of the ten that get bumped do so voluntarily.
Over at the San Francisco Chronicle, Ed Perkins offers the 8 things you need to know about getting bumped, including the fact that volunteering your seat may be getting riskier:
“When airlines started routine overbooking, getting bumped was no big deal. Load factors (percentage of occupied seats) in the 60s meant travelers who volunteered to get off could find replacement seats easily, often on a flight only an hour or two later. Now, with load factors in the 70s and 80s, finding those replacement seats could take days, not just hours.”
The article also warns against volunteering to be bumped unless you know in advance what you’re getting in return: “If possible, get a firm future seat commitment before you accept any vouchers or free trips. And watch the fine print on any voucher or free trip an airline offers: Make sure it’s valid long enough that you can really use it, and make sure there aren’t any undue restrictions on its use.”
As a general rule, airlines are usually pretty good about compensating those who are bumped from flights, as acting any differently would be horrible PR. But everyone’s trying to cut costs these days, and it’s best not to assume that an airline will be generous to you just because they should.
Whole thing here.
Also see: Gadling’s guide to getting bumped.