More Flights are Overbooked, but Payoffs are Rising

[LL_Travelfan]

More Flights are Overbooked, but Payoffs are Rising












The bad news: the likelihood that travelers will be bumped from an overbooked flight may grow worse this fall when airlines shrink their fleets to cut unprofitable flights and inefficient planes, meaning even fewer empty seats than there are now.


The good news: airlines are required to offer richer rewards twice the amount of money they used to pay out for passengers bumped from a flight. The payoff can be even greater for people who know how to bargain.



For more details have a look at : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/bu...23bump.html?em



Message Edited by LL_Travelfan on 08-26-2008 06:45 AM

[thepiranha]

Hey LL_Travelfan, the likelihood of travelers getting bumped from an overbooked flight won't get worse if the airlines cut back on their flights, it will get better. I've gotten bumped several times and unless I have some pressing business to attend to, I always volunteer. It's great when a delay in getting to our destination or getting home pays for the flights on our next vacation.

[LL_Travelfan]

Hi thepranha,
We too always voluntereed our seats to get a free ticket/voucher for our next trip. It is great when it happens and you can actually get a "free" trip. As of late, however, I have found, that a voucher hardly covers the cost of the ticket, especially overseas tickets. An $800 voucher from a bump in Paris, does not get you back to Paris these days, especially, if you are planning to stay in Paris longer then 7 days. So, perhaps one has to look into bargaining a little harder with the airline, instead of accepting what they offer.
Great that you were lucky to turn all your bumps into "free" trips.

[travel2fun]

LL_Travelfan, seems like we had several posting exchanges on this topic about a year ago:

http://community.luxurylink.com/luxurylink/board/message?board.id=board-general&message.id=3841&query.id=2249#M3841

Since last year, has anyone personally really experience a sharp increase in bumping? I still fly at least two times a month for business and I haven't experienced an increase.

[LL_Travelfan]

Hi travel2fun,
You are right we did have a separate link on bumping. I had forgotten about it. Good of you to remember and to list it. We personally do not fly that much domestically, but last year my husband got bumped on a Paris - Miami flight, the flight being way overbooked. I think the gist of the article was that it was going to get worse as airlines are retiring some of their less fuel-efficient planes, cutting flights, pulling out of airports on some of their less profitable routes and laying off flight personnel this coming Fall. With it, the compensation for bumps was going to get revised upwards. On the other hand, from what I read in the papers, Americans are staying closer to home for their vacations, using their car to drive to shorter distances for their vacation, and rediscovering camping vacations with the family close to home. Even business people are restricting their meetings necessitating flying somewhere and using video-conferencing more often. So perhaps, it might come out a wash as we are adjusting to fewer available flights and higher prices and crowded airports. If you are flying at least twice a month on business you are probably more aware of the situation to say if it has gotten worse. Of course, time will tell this Fall.

[omegaet]

t-2-f and LL_Travelfan...maybe it is because of the times slotsor routes I frequently fly....but for the most part I don't see the pax loads increasing too much....if anything, seems like there are fewer pax. It has been months since I have been able to take voluntary bump....and I am close to the top of the list of volunteerson most inbound flights.