IS YOUR SEAT REALLY RESERVED?

Airlines assume that a certain percentage of passengers will not show up for a given flight. They overbook based on that assumption to make sure their flight goes out as full as possible. Overbooking in the airline industry is completely legal and permitted by federal law.

What happens when all of the passengers show up?

1) The airline has to ask for willing passengers to volunteer for a later flight. The airline will usually offer a free ticket or a travel credit.

2) If there are not enough volunteers, the airline begins its own involuntary "bumping" plan.

If you are involuntarily "bumped" (denied boarding), then you may be eligible for compensation. The amount of compensation usually depends on how long the airline makes you wait. It is important to obtain a copy of the airline's "Conditions of Carriage" to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. If you refuse the offered compensation you can then seek to recover damages in court.

Here’s how it works. All airlines overbook their flights. If you don’t book your seat (reserve the seat) when you make Your reservations then you aren’t confirmed on that flight. When the man gets to the gate with his family, he waits for a seat that doesn’t exist. The flight is overbooked by 50 and he isn’t going anywhere. The ticket agent isn’t allowed to disclose how overbooked the flight is. What the agents are told to do during training is lie to the passengers. When there aren’t enough seats, just send them to the gate.

When you make a reservation make sure you reserve your seats. Make sure they are reserved together so you are sitting with your companions. You may not get a seat otherwise because airlines give seats to their frequent travelers first. Something the passenger doesn’t know is that there are certain seats (like the front row seats of coach class) that are reserved for frequent travelers. The agents will tell you that those seats are taken, but in reality they are reserved for people who have spent plenty of money traveling with the airline.