The practice is common but not always well known by passengers. To guarantee flying at full capacity, airlines do not hesitate to sell more tickets than available seats on board their planes. This is called overbooking. Objective: to compensate for the absence of passengers who do not show up at the exit. They would be on average between 15 and 20% per flight, according to estimates by the Authority for the quality of service in transportation.
But sometimes it happens that the number of withdrawals is less important than expected. In which case, some of the passengers will have to disembark. And to get enough volunteers, companies can offer attractive compensation. In an article published last week, the American channel CNBC collects the testimony of a passenger who agreed to give up her place on board a Delta Airlines plane in exchange for 3,000 dollars. A bargain, while her ticket cost her $358.
A total of 22 passengers were due to depart this flight to Florida. Initially, the company offered $1,300 for each person who agreed to get off the plane. Before gradually increasing the amount of compensation until reaching a sufficient number of volunteers. Although less common, this auction system also exists in Europe in case of overbooking. “There have been cases with EasyJet in particular,” says Xavier Tytelman, an aeronautics expert. However, it is still unlikely that you will be offered such a sum to encourage you to get off the plane.
Refund or redirect
Overbooking is a perfectly legal practice that can lead to various scenarios when too many passengers show up to check-in. In the first case, the company does not find enough volunteers to abandon the flight. You are then authorized to deny boarding to certain passengers. The latter can be reimbursed for the ticket or be redirected to another flight with the company, covering the costs of catering, hotel, transfer, etc.
Whether it results in a refund or a rerouting, denied boarding is accompanied by compensation, in accordance with European standards. Its amount is 250 euros for flights of up to 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for flights between 1,500 and 3,000 km or more than 3,500 kilometers within the EU and 600 euros for a journey between the European Union and a non-EU country.
However, if it is the passenger who volunteers not to board, he or she will not be covered by European compensation rules. “It is then an agreement with the company. Each one offers its own compensation conditions”, recalls the official site of the French administration. In this case, it is convenient to pay attention to the compensation that is offered: “Companies try to manage so that it costs them less than the diversion and compensation”, underlines Xavier Tytelman. In addition, some may “give a little less to passengers who do not know the law.”
Disputes with airlines could repeat themselves in the coming weeks as airport staffing shortages herald a turbulent summer for air travel. Latest example: London Heathrow airport, one of the world’s busiest, which on Tuesday asked airlines to stop selling tickets for the summer season in order to limit daily traffic to 100,000 people a day.
Source: BFM TV
