Overbooked Flight Compensation
Ever faced overbooking? Here is all the necessary info for you know before you embark on your journey or have experienced inconvenience during the flight.
Table of contents
- Airline Overbooking: Passenger Rights and Airlines’ Obligations
- Overbooked Flight Compensation: The Procedure in Detail
- What Do You Do If Denied Boarding?
Each day passengers arrive at the airport on time, go through check-ins, customs, and wait in anticipation of a delightful journey. But sometimes it is not that delightful and they might face numerous inconveniences, including overbooked flight. Have you ever been denied boarding the plane because there were no free seats?
If you were denied to board the plane because it was overbooked, there is one thing that will bring up your spirit and will make this troubled situation less stressful. The thing is compensation guaranteed by the EU 261 Regulation. It means that you have to be compensated from €250 to €600 by the airline. There are even services like AirHelp that can calculate the amount for your trip.
Airline Overbooking: Passengers’ Rights and Airlines’ Obligations
You can arrive at the airport on time and still be denied to board the plane, as airlines usually sell more tickets for the flight. Why do airlines overbook flights? The answer is simple — because of profit. According to the statistics, 20% of passengers do not show up for the departure that causes loss of income. It is not profitable to perform flights with empty seats, so some airlines practise overselling.
Problems start when every passenger shows up for the flight. In this case, the airline should ask for volunteers, who are willing to drop their seats. They are still authorized to compensation, even if they choose to volunteer and let someone else board the plane.
In case no one is ready to cancel their plans and wants to travel now, the airline can choose people who were the last to check-in. Make sure that you always arrive on time and check-in within stated time on your boarding pass. Still, in any case, passengers have to be compensated for the inconveniences according to the EU law.
The EU settlement of laws is relevant for the flights that:
- are operated by the EU airline;
- depart and arrive at the EU airport;
- depart from the EU airport and arrive at the third country airport and vice verse.
In order to be 100% sure that you are empowered to compensation, you can use AirHelp to check the info and see the amount of the bonus. The service is easy to navigate and use. Fill out a simple form and get the required details.
Once you decide to volunteer and leave the board or you were denied to board the plane, you have to receive appropriate care from the air carrier. The amount of bonus depends on the length of your trip:
- €250 for short-distance flights that are up to 1500km;
- €400 for medium-length flights that are between 1500 and 3500km;
- €600 for long-distance flights that are over 3500km.
Apart from this, passengers should be offered to reroute their trip or full reimbursement of the tickets. If you were suggested to take the next possible departure, the airline should provide you with food and drinks in accordance with the waiting time, two free of charge phone calls, fax messages, or e-mails. In case, passengers should wait for the next plane till the next day, the airline is responsible for providing travelers with accommodation and transfer. All these benefits come with monetary compensation.
Overbooked Flight Compensation: The Procedure in Detail
There are cases when airlines do not inform the passengers who were denied to board the plane to keep away the repayment information. You should be prepared for that and know that there are three ways to get all the details:
- find the airline representatives at the airport and file the form for benefits at their office;
- visit the airline’s website and check the information for clients or contact the Customer Support team. Usually, they have an online form that can be submitted for revision;
- check the AirHelp website and file the application for inconveniences coverage there. This is a service that takes care of everything for yourself. They will not only provide you with the information but will also deal with the airline in order to get a bonus for you.
Please note that passengers who were traveling by reduced fees or free of charge are not enabled to repayment unless they are the airline’s regular clients and purchased tickets via the Frequent Flier program.
Once you find the air carrier representatives or the online compensation form, check whether you have all the necessary details and documents with you. You should provide:
- passport;
- tickets;
- boarding pass.
It’s relevant otherwise you will not be able to get compensation. Also, you can collect additional data like photos, videos, confirmation from the airline representatives, or any other type of confirmation of the disruption.
You should also know that airlines can review the requests for up to 4 weeks before they make the final decision based on the information provided. Only if you find the air carrier representatives at the airport, you can be offered to be compensated immediately in cash or a bank transfer. The choice is up to you.
What Do You Do If Denied Boarding?
Overbooking is not a pleasant experience but still, you can get some extra perks in case you go through these inconveniences. Always try to find a silver lining even if you feel unlucky. The EU 261 Regulation is there to protect your rights and help you get compensation from the airline.
So, what are the crucial things to remember and steps to take?
- First of all, check out the settlement for passengers denied to board the plane and know your rights as a passenger;
- Keep all the documents with you, even keep tickets and boarding passes after the flight as the arrangement applies to the flights that took place within three years after the denial;
- Check out the info with the airline representatives and fill out the form for compensation; or
- Check the website/special services to file the request for a monetary bonus for inconveniences.
Traveling can be pleasant or not, but even in the bad scenarios, you are entitled to extras from the airline. In order to avoid situations like boarding denial on an overbooked flight, make sure you arrive at the airport on time not to check-in at the last minute.
This article contains affiliate links to AirHelp
