Flight overbooked? Here's how to avoid being bumped from your plane

Over-booked flights aren’t uncommon, how can you avoid them? (Picture: Getty Images)

If you’ve booked yourself a flight this summer, don’t take it as a guarantee that you’ll be able to board your plane.

There’s a chance you won’t be allowed on if your flight is overbooked. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s actually a very common practice for some airlines.

In early June, Taylor Swift fan Megan Ridout was denied boarding on her British Airways £91 return flight to Lyon after she got concert tickets, and the airline instead offered her a flight that got her to Lyon, 90 minutes after the concert started.

So, if this happens to you, what are your rights and how can you avoid being the person chosen to be bumped from your flight?

Matthew Hall, managing director for airport transfers app Hoppa, said: ‘Airlines overbook certain flights to ensure planes are filled even when some passengers don’t show up.

There are some things you can do to increase your chances of keeping your seat (Picture: Getty Images)

‘If this happens on your flight, airlines usually ask for volunteers to give up their seat at the check-in desk first.’

According to The Independent, easyJet’s typical rate of passengers who don’t show up for departure is an average of 5%, or around nine would-be travellers per full flight – so it’s not uncommon.

But if all passengers show up on the day and the flight is over-booked, if you do volunteer to be bumped, you’re entitled to an alternative flight or refund.

Airlines often offer cash or vouchers in compensation, or they may pay for your airport hotel if there’s not a flight that same day.

But is there a way to avoid this drama in the first place?

How to avoid getting bumped from your flight

If no one volunteers to give up their seat, the airline staff will pick who is denied boarding.

Matthew explained that there are certain groups of people who are more likely to have priority when it comes to retaining their seat on the flight. These include: unaccompanied children, people with mobility issues, first-class ticket holders and those with holiday packages from the airline.

‘It can also help to sign up to the airline’s frequent flyer programme, which is usually free and can get you discounts on future flights by earning miles,’ Matthew added.

You’re entitled to compensation under UK law if you fit the below criteria (Picture: Getty Images)

If you aren’t any of the above, Matthew also says that you can improve your odds by checking in as early as possible before you get to the airport, and by making it to the gate early.

If you pay to reserve a specific seat, rather than being seated through the random allocation, then that means you’re also less likely to get bumped.

Are you entitled to compensation if you’re denied boarding?

The level of compensation depends on the length of your flight and the timings of the alternative flight you are offered.

You also have to be eligible for compensation by fitting into one of these categories:

• departing from an airport in the UK on any airline, or 
• arriving at an airport in the UK on an EU or UK airline; or 
• arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline

So, how much compensation can you get if you are bumped from a short-haul flight?

This is classed as a flight under 1,500km – like a journey from Glasgow to Amsterdam, for example. If you arrive more than two hours late at your final destination because of being bumped, you can claim £220 in compensation.

If you arrive less than two hours late, you’re entitled to £110.

For a medium-haul flight of 1,500km to 3,500km, think East Midlands to Marrakech, you can get £350 in compensation if you arrive more than three hours late.

If you arrive less than three hours late after being bumped, you’re entitled to £175.

For a long-haul flight of more than 3,500km, think London to New York, if you arrive more than four hours after your scheduled arrival time, you’re entitled to £520 in compensation.

But, if you arrive less than four hours late, you can claim £260.

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