Overbooking is a common practice in the travel and vacation industry. Both the transport carriers and the accommodation facilities increasingly take a few more reservations, considering that there will always be some cancellation or a No Show (no presentation of the cilente or passenger).
The practice of overbooking is a lawful practice and allows you to have almost all the available places occupied. Many times, however, in addition to having all the seats full, more people show up than the seats available.
In the hotel sector, the overbooked customer is placed in a hotel of the same or higher category. While in the aviation sector there are various solutions and each airline adopts the one it deems most advantageous, always respecting the regulations in force. Such as refunds, or moving some passengers on subsequent flights, ...
How to avoid overbooking
Here are some tips to avoid overbooking and be denied boarding at the gate.
- Book and use flights departing early in the morning
- Check in as early as possible and arrive at the gate early
- Check in your luggage
- Traveling in a group
- Join the frequent flyer programs of the various airlines
- Avoid buying the cheapest tickets
- Avoid flying in the evening and at peak times
What to do in case of overbooking
However, many times even adopting these precautions can happen to be denied boarding. What to do?
In these cases the only thing to do is to be patient. Ask the airline about the rights and the various solutions proposed, and choose the "most convenient" one.
