[Travelandtourism] America's most overbooked airlines

[ShilohsTravel]

Hotels also over book.  Just a little FYI.

Reese

The biggest 2008 bumper according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's 
Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, was Atlantic Southeast 
Airlines, which averaged 3.89 bumps per 10,000 fliers. Other chronic 
over-sellers included Comair and American Eagle Airlines, which averaged 
3.41 and 2.44 bumps, respectively, per 10,000 customers.

American Eagle says bad weather conditions can force the airline to limit 
passenger and baggage weight on its Embraer built aircraft. It is currently 
modifying the planes so they can carry more weight and reduce the number of 
bumped passengers.


But overselling is behind most bumps.

It is standard practice in the airline industry - a way to hedge against 
passengers who skip out on reservations or to collect double fares if a 
prepaid passenger doesn't show up. Most of these no-shows are business 
customers - leisure fliers tend book trips early and show up when they say 
they will.


"Business people aren't sure when their meeting will end so they'll book 
three flights and get on the one that works for them," says Joe Brancatelli, 
editor of the business travel site Joesentme.com. By overbooking, airlines 
make sure to fill all the seats.

Usually  - thanks to complex models that factor in the destination, time of 
day and types of customers - the system works and everyone gets a seat. If 
the plane is overbooked, the airlines dangle rewards of free tickets and 
upgrades in front of customers enticing them to volunteer to take later 
flights.

But sometimes there are not enough takers, and airlines must bump paying 
customers - who have already checked baggage, passed security and obtained a 
boarding pass - to a later flight.

Fortunately, this game of musical chairs is rare.


Al Behrman / AP
Comair experienced 13,461 voluntary bumps and 1,909 involuntary bumps, with 
nearly 6 million passengers in 2008. Involuntary bumps per 10,000: 3.41
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's about as common as a shark attack during a rainy day at the beach," 
says Brancatelli. "Out of all the evils perpetrated by airlines, it ranks 
about No. 26."

JetBlue bumped the least amount of fliers in 2008 - out of 22 million 
fliers, only 22 were bumped according to DOT data. JetBlue says that it has 
a corporate policy against overselling flights, claiming that the hassle it 
causes fliers outweighs the financial gains. To avoid losing money on 
no-shows, JetBlue requires payment at the time of the reservation.

Bumping is bad for both the airline and the passengers. "No one wants to see 
it happen," says Seth Kaplan, a managing partner at industry publication 
"Airline Weekly". "The customers get delayed, and it hurts the airline's 
image."


But overbooking seats might actually benefit the consumer. "Any empty seats 
are spoilage," Kaplan says. "If the airlines don't maximize their revenues, 
the passengers end up paying higher fares."

The practice might help lower fares, but this is small consolation to the 
person who gets bumped. That's why it's important for passengers to know 
their rights. If bumped because of an oversold flight, you are guaranteed 
the next open seat on a later flight - possibly even on a competitor. You 
are also entitled to cash. Last May, the DOT doubled overselling 
penalties -airlines must pay up to $400 to a customer who has to wait 1 to 2 
hours for an alternative flight, and up to $800 for a delay of longer than 2 
hours.

  It's A Snap!


Sounds generous but beware of ever-expanding loop-holes.

"You used to have to check in at the gate 10 minutes before the flight to be 
entitled to bumping compensation," says Katie Hanni, 48, the executive 
director of Flyersrights.org. "Since the penalties have doubled, the 
airlines have increased that time to 30 minutes."

Hanni, who claims to have been bumped in the past, looks to take passenger 
rights a step further. After a July 2007 meeting on the topic with U.S. Sen. 
Barbara Boxer, both Boxer and U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe introduced the Airline 
Passengers Bill of Rights to Congress last January. The bill - which will 
prevent airlines from stranding passengers on grounded planes - is still 
pending.

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