Dealing With Bumps

It has been estimated that, to make up for no-shows and cancellations, many airlines overbook between 20 and 40 percent on average. The Department of Transportation estimates that for every 10,000 passengers who board an airplane, twenty people will be bumped off a flight. Most of these are voluntarily bumped. Here are some tips in dealing with the experience of being bumped.

WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO BE BUMPED
If you show up for your flight on time, if the gate attendant first asked for volunteers, and there is still no room for you on the plane, by U.S. Department of Transportation rules, you should be compensated. However, if the airline can get you booked on another flight that gets you to your destination within one hour of your original arrival time, you are not entitled to any compensation. If you arrive between one and two hours late at your destination, you are entitled to a cash payment of 100% of your one-way fare up to $200; more than two hours past your original destination arrival time, and you should be compensated in a cash payment of 200% of your one-way fare up to $400.

The exception to this ruling is if the airlines replaced a plane with a smaller one. The rules also don't apply to airlines that fly planes with fewer than 60 seats.

The key word here is CASH!! Don't settle for a free ticket or a travel voucher. Federal law states that they owe you cash. This ruling does not apply to delayed or canceled flights.

WHEN YOU VOLUNTEER TO BE BUMPED
If you think you would like to be bumped, doing so on a morning flight makes it easier to get booked on a later flight. You can also call ahead to find out if a flight is overbooked. Get to the airport early if you want to volunteer to be placed on the "voluntary denied" boarding list.

Midweek and midday flights offer less opportunity to be bumped. The airlines don't have to compensate you in cash if you volunteer to be bumped. Most airlines offer travel vouchers, usually with a value of around $250. These can be redeemed later to buy airline tickets or pay for hotel stays. You may be offered free roundtrip tickets, and if they are having difficulty finding volunteers, they may up the offer to cash or tickets to popular destinations like Hawaii or Europe.

MORE TIPS
Some folks prefer to wait until the flight departs before negotiating compensation. They and the gate attendants don't feel quite so rushed.

If your offer of being bumped means you have to spend the night, ask for a free hotel room, dinner, and breakfast.

When being booked on a new flight, make sure you are confirmed on the flight. Priority standby status means you could be sitting around the airport a bit longer than you had planned.

You can also ask for some extras, like a first-class upgrade on the new flight, meal vouchers, extra frequent-flier miles.

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