According to Civil Aviation data and new research, 6.6million passengers are denied boarding to their flights every year, even with a valid ticket and passport. This is due to airlines overbooking flights.
Overbooking is a surprisingly common practice in which airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane. It’s a frequent strategy to account for passengers who often don’t turn up for their flights, but it often results in there being too many passengers arriving to board. Rhys Jones, travel insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Flight overbooking happens more than we’d like to think, and it can make for an extremely stressful start to any trip for the passengers affected.” So what can you do to prevent yourself from falling short if this situation should present itself?
According to Mr Jones, the first thing you should do is get the airline to confirm that the reason you were denied boarding the flight was due to overbooking, he also recommended to “get this in writing if possible.” This will prevent future disputes, misunderstandings, and potential legal issues.
The next step is discussing the airline’s intentions on getting your trip back on course. Do they plan on assisting you? Do you receive any compensation for this inconvenience? Be sure to ask these questions as you are well within your right. They should also try and book you onto another flight as soon as possible.
Mr Jones said: “Remember to keep all relevant documents like boarding passes, communications from your airline and receipts for accommodation or meal costs.” This is because the airline is obliged to compensate for these expenses. He continued: “ Know that you can complain to your airline if necessary, and even, if it isn’t being resolved, take your complaint to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.”
Recent studies by Go.Compare analysed Civil Aviation Authority figures and survey data to estimate the number of passengers affected by the common practice of overbooking each year. Overall, around 20.9 million passengers annually are estimated to have felt the impact of overbooking over the past 10 years.
Approximately one-third of affected passengers told the insurance comparison site that they were unable to board their flights, which is equal to about 6.6million travellers denied boarding per year.
As mentioned earlier, airlines are legally required to manage any affected travellers by providing alternative flights, compensation and assistance. However, only 84% of those who were denied boarding were booked onto another flight, meaning that around one million passengers per year did not get their flights rearranged. On top of that, out of these passengers, almost two-thirds said they lost money as a result, with under half claiming on their travel insurance.
This is why Go.Compare is urging passengers to understand their rights in case this happens to them when they travel this year.