Can you imagine arriving at the airport and not being able to board the plane because it is full? This is what overselling flights or overbooking is all about. This practice is common, legal and will probably happen to you on one of your trips, so here I tell you what you need to know to protect yourself.
What is flight overbooking?
Overselling flights is a legal practice that most airlines around the world carry out to protect themselves and reduce the economic impact of carrying planes with free seats. In this way, more spaces are put up for sale than are available, hoping that not all travelers show up to take the flight. The problem begins when there are more passengers than seats available.
What do I do if my flight is overbooked?
If you meet all the immigration and health requirements… and are still denied boarding due to an oversold flight, you must receive compensation. This depends on the country you are in. For example, in Mexico the Aviation Law establishes the following alternatives:
- Refund the price of the ticket or the proportion that corresponds to the unrealized part of the trip
- Offer you another seat on the first available flight to your destination and offer you free telephone communication services to the destination, food according to the waiting time, accommodation in a hotel at the airport or the city if you need to spend the night, as well as transportation from the airport to the hotel
- A flight at a later date that suits the passenger to the destination where they were going.
This leaves compensation of at least 25% of the ticket price to the passengers involved in this case, regardless of the option the passenger chooses to compensate for the damage. You can consult more details directly at Profeco.
In the case of Spain, the compensation depends on the distance of the flight and will be between 250 and 600 euros. To this we must add the right to information, assistance, reimbursement or alternative transportation. To have a financial compensation of 600 euros, the flight needs to be more than 3,500 kilometers. More information at the Ministry of Transport.
In the case of the United States, if the airline offers you substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at its destination between one and two hours after the original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay, at a minimum, an amount equal to 200% of the one-way fare to your final destination that day or $775, whichever is less. If substitute transportation is scheduled to take you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements, the minimum compensation is doubled (400% of your one-way fare or 1,550 USD, whichever amount is less). More information here.
Volunteers when flights are overbooked
When an airline oversold flights and there is a shortage of places, the first measure is to ask for volunteers. In this way, it will begin to offer compensation so that passengers who do not have an urgency to take the assigned flight. In the case of Mexico, compensation must always be greater than what the law requires. In the case of the United States there is no rule, it all depends on what passengers and airlines can agree on. But what is always important is to ask before volunteering:
- When is the next flight the airline can give me a seat on? Alternate flight may be acceptable. On the other hand, if the airline offers to put you on hold on another flight that is full, you could be stranded.
- Will the airline provide other services such as free meals, a hotel room, hotel-to-airport transfers, and a calling card? If not, you may have to spend the money they offer you on food or accommodation while you wait for the next flight.
⚠️It is mandatory to travel with insurance
Insurance is an essential requirement to travel to many countries in the world such as those in the Schengen Area. You can get it from 20 USD and if you use my code you receive 20% discount. Get an insurance quote here.