International Bumping

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Q. I was slated to fly from Boston to Rome. I arrived at the airport about 2 1/2 hours ahead of my scheduled 6:15 p.m. take-off. After waiting for almost 2 hours in a huge line, airline staff closed off the ticket/boarding pass gates. We were told that they would be with us shortly. After about a half hour, the staff then announced that there was no more room left on this flight! I was bewildered because I had purchased my ticket in April and here it was September. I was among about 10 people who were shut out of this flight because the flight was overbooked. After unsuccessfully trying to put me on a 9:45 p.m. flight on another airline, my options were: 1) Take a flight the next night at 6 p.m. to Milan and then change planes after a layover to Rome; 2) Wait two nights and fly Boston to Rome on a similar flight. I opted for the 1st option. The airline then gave me a 125 Euro ($168 USD) voucher to use on my next flight. My question is, is this common practice and can they be held accountable for this?

A. The airline may have pulled a fast one here. You were bumped, and according to the US DOT, bumping compensation rules apply to all flights originating in the US, no matter where they're headed. Those rules stipulate compensation ranging from $400 to $800 per passenger, depending on the cost of the ticket and the length of the delay. You would be entitled to the full $800. There's only one condition which may have applied in this case: If the airline substitutes a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn't required to pay people who are bumped as a result. You should file a complaint with the DOT and go back to the airline and explain that they are not following the rules. Write the DOT at Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 7th Street, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20590 or visit online at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm.

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Did they say, you hadn't gotten there in time? That may be the reason they gave you less money. I've had airlines bump me because my flight was late and they were oversold. That way they sometimes get away with this.

by CEN on Thursday, March 31, 2011

The common thread is these involve international flights. What is not clear is if these were booked on 'Code Share' airlines. Take the MPS-ATL-Rome trip does not indicate the carrier ex ATL . We've done that via Delta and it's code share Alitalia flights...NO SEATS until check-in. Also if you go back to the tkt counter after arvl and ask for seats AZ said 'No, wait until you are returning'. Annoying, YES! It means that the code share is not comprhensive, the computer systems don't match up and that the code share partner can offer poor service. So in the future I asked the res agent of the US partner and those calls are free unless you also ask to book thru them. Call your base carrier first...then decide if you like the answer before booking.

by Skipper on Friday, October 02, 2009

Aside from the monetary compensation, the airline should offer you to be booked on another carrier even if there will be a connection into another city like JFK, ORD, IAD or MIA. These are major international gateways where flights to Rome is always available. If the airline did not offer you this option but you were aware of the available flights, you could have asked them to book you and endorse your ticket to any of the available flights of the other carrier. It will be helpful if you have already the info when suggesting this option. I always welcome being bump on my flight as I get more option to fly the airline I would like to be on.

by dvdmiami on Wednesday, September 16, 2009

I bought tickets (for an itinerary NOT shown on the NWA website) through orbitz for April of this year. The confirmation noted the same thing "seat assignment at checkin." All I needed to do was to CALL NWA, give them the confirmation numbers for myself and my husband, and I got assigned seats, right away. They were not able to confirm seats on the second leg, because it was through KLM, but as we were flying from AMS to VCE in the evening, I wasn't too concerned. We got our seat assignments as SOON as we got through customs, as well as the assignment for the first leg of the return flight.

It doesn't matter WHO sold you a ticket. If it's a confirmed ticket for an airline CALL THE AIRLINE to get a seat assignment. You'll be glad you did. There are times when you have to wait; my husband bought a "cash and miles" ticket on NWA, and they wouldn't assign his seat till one week before the flight. But even that's a whole lot better than waiting till you are at the check in counter with your bags.

by mickisue on Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Rometravler, As I understand it, when you buy tickets from Cheaptickets.com, you are not buying the tickets from the Airline. Rather that website buys tickets from the airline that the airline thinks they cannot sell. Be sure to read the small print when using that website.

by jasatt on Monday, September 14, 2009

Airlines have very complicated computer programs that tell them what the optimal number of seats to sell is on each flight. How much does a potential empty seat cost them, compared to compensation for a passenger bumped from an oversold flight? This also permits the airline to sell a full-fare ticket on a sold out flight to a business flyer on a walkup basis. That passenger's fare brings in several times the compensation that will go to whoever is bumped from the flight as a consequence. Also, if there is a flight irregularity, the airline will routinely overbook the next flight out with the people unable to fly due to a cancellation or a delayed flight that misses connections. The point is the compensation. If there are volunteers willing to be bumped, it's a win-win situation. If not, at least the ones denied boarding get $$ if the airline can't get them to their destination within a reasonable period of time.

by srdshelly on Monday, September 14, 2009

I recently found a good deal on Travelocity but was afraid to purchase it in case it was a consolidator fare or a situation such as this was the case. How do we know what tickets are being purchased from the airlines, or are all other websites operating as jasatt explains?

by newnana on Monday, September 14, 2009

I also had a similar experience with Delta tickets I purchased through cheaptickets.com. Nowhere did it say that I had purchased standby tickets, just that my seats would be assigned at check-in. Tickets were purchased in December for an April trip. We were flying from Mpls via Atlanta and on to Rome and the same on the return trip. While we were fortunate to get on the plane from Atlanta and then again returning from Rome, it was very upsetting to get through all the security hassle in Rome and then discover that we did not actually have seats on the plane home. Why are the airlines not informing passengers when they have purchased tickets on an overbooked flight? I would not have purchased these tickets had I known. I was traveling with my mom and didn't want to have extra trouble of possible delays and rerouting. I hope to avoid it in the future.

by rometraveler on Monday, September 14, 2009

I can understand airlines overbooking when they were not selling "use it or lose it" tickets. Back then overselling of flights by 15% was common place and was necessary to protect the airlines from customers booking and never cancelling when not traveling, or booking several airlines to protect themselves against overbooking. What is the excuse for overbooking today?

by bilomalo on Monday, September 14, 2009

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