You’ve got all your gear packed, made all your hotel bookings and your travel itineraries full to the brim. Everything is going perfectly well. Oops, there is an unseen problem. It is big because you can’t take your flight. You’re getting bumped from your flight. Now that you’re reading this take note of these few tips to avoid getting bumped from your flight.
You have seen it happen to other people, but it never happened to you. If you’re like many of us you really never gave it a second thought. Getting bumped off a flight sucks big time. That’s despite the increased compensation you’re entitled to or usually get.
While you can’t predict when you might get bumped off a flight might happen, you can take some precautions to avoid it happening to you.
Nowadays it is not Uncommon to Hear of Overbooking
This overbooking scenario is becoming more and more common. I don’t fly much, but the last few times I have some plane was overbooked. How did I know? Well, it is hard to miss when the loudspeaker in the airport waiting area blasts some neat perks because they are full.
They want to entice someone to give up their seat to get those often juicy perks.
With the recent overbooking practices of airlines, it could definitely get someone to give up their seat due to the goodies sometimes offered.
You can often avoid getting added to the rising statistics of frustrated passengers. Just take a few precautions to significantly reduce your risk of missed flights.
It is a travel pitfall you don’t want to fall into. There are a few things to consider about this whole situation of planes being too crowded for all the people assigned to the flight.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind. They can help to keep you from getting bumped from a flight.
Here are 10 ways to Avoid getting Bumped off a flight
1. Try to fly off season if possible. Offseason is not only cheaper but is also perfect timing in avoiding airline bumping. Over bumping only happens when airlines overbook. So you can easily eliminate that possibility by being smart in choosing your travel time.
2. If you really must go during peak season… and you can afford to splurge on your airline booking. Then consider this higher cost option. You may want to choose to fly first class or business class. Now, on some airlines, there is no first class. So the business class is what they usually offer.
The big downside of this is the much higher cost of the ticket. However, First Class passengers almost never get bumped from a flight. That’s not true for those flying economy or on discounted fares. As such they have a higher chance of getting booted from their seat.
Naturally, you are given better security and usually service if you are a member of the airline’s elite club or on its frequent flyer program.
3. Securing a seat is another potential flight bumping deterrent. You don’t need to pay the exorbitant price of a first class or business class ticket. However, you sometimes still have to pay a bit extra for your pre-booked seat assignment with many airlines. To possibly give you a little edge, call your airline a few days ahead of your flight. Confirm you will definitely be there at boarding call.
4. Budget travelers consider this tactic. It’s for those who cannot afford or are unwilling to pay a premium price. There are several things you can do to avoid getting bumped. However, you do need to put in an extra effort to make sure they won’t make you give up your seat when the situation calls for it.
Many airlines offer online check-in 24 hours prior to departure. If so then you need to take advantage of this convenient way to get your boarding pass. This is an easy process. It will not take more than a few minutes to finish the whole process.
Should you have no time for online check-in, then make sure to get to the airport and check-in as early as possible. Do it a few hours ahead of time if possible.
Be sure to immediately board the plane once your row is called for boarding. Don’t dilly dally around. All it takes is just a few minutes to lose your seat if all passengers (if more than 100% capacity has been ticketed) show up for the flight.
Take the earliest flight as much as possible. The bumping risk is at their lowest at this time. Should the unfortunate happen, at least you will have the whole day to catch up and possibly take other flights.
5. Avoid Interconnecting Flights – Although this might seem obvious it is not something everyone will be thinking about. Sometimes it is unavoidable to take such flights. Sometimes your airline may not have a direct flight. The wait time between planes could be a problem. Whatever the reason it stands to reason that more than one flight to reach your destination is another chance for a bumped seat to occur.
Lastly, there is sometimes, depending on where your airport is located, you have no choice in airlines or interconnecting flights. In such cases be sure to check some of the other tips to help give you an advantage against getting bumped from your seat.
6. It is a good idea to give up your seat if your airline asks for it – that is If you are in no hurry to get to your destination, then Volunteers usually get some great perks for giving up their seat. Just make sure that your airline commits to getting you to your destination without any further delay.
7. Sometimes it pays to wait if they are giving you a free ticket or cash offer. Don’t rush to be the first to volunteer. Often times the airline offer increases in value in direct proportion to how badly the airline needs to rearrange passengers. If you have to stay overnight then make sure your compensation includes a hotel and meals, as well as transportation to and from the airport.
8. Make sure Your Flight is Not the Last Flight of the Day. Regardless of whether your flight is overbooked or not, earlier overbooked flights can cause a backlog. That could end up making your flight to too full. Also, fewer people are willing to volunteer their seats when it’s the last flight of the day. That would mean they would need to spend an extra night where they are. Most people have plans and that might ruin their plans.
9. Use jetBlue as your airline Carrier – jetBlue has a policy of not overbooking. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. But is probably is less frequent than other airlines. There may be a catch to this tip. Not all airports have jetBlue service. So to effectively use this tip both the airport you leave from and your destination airport must have jetBlue flights.
10. Take an airline with a good record. Check The Air Travel Consumer Report for the points that are important to you. Included in the lengthy report are many different factors that might influence you toward the airline you consider for your flight. Although it is a few years old, as of this article in November 2018, it is a good guide to check on the performance of different airlines.
Here’s what airlines legally owe you if you’re bumped off a flight
by Business Insider
Published on Youtube on Apr 11, 2017
In this vlog, I take you through everything I did from February 3 – March 17 while studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. I threw a lot of clips into this vlog, some of which include climbing Calton Hill, visiting the Scottish Highlands, going on my own walking tour of Harry Potter inspired spots around Edinburgh, and climbing Arthur’s Seat! Enjoy!
These few tips can be something to consider before you book your flight. Some apply after you are at the airport waiting to board your flight. Just know that if the unfortunate situation of overbooking occurs there may be some help in dealing with the situation. Keep these tips in mind when considering your next flight.
About the Author
Charles L Harmon reviews PLR. Read more about him on his Yolky blog.
