What to Do About Being Bumped

It pays to know your rights, and to be a little sneaky, when you're bumped from your flight involuntarily. To prevent being bumped, it also pays to get to the airport early. In this photo, passengers look for a new flight at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Credit: AP Photo/M. Spencer Green

Surely you've seen them before. Surrounded by grease-blotted Sbarro boxes and empty soda cans, these unfortunate folks have been booted from their overbooked flight and left with no choice but to make camp on the airport floor and wait.
 
Think it can't happen to you? Don't be so certain. Overbooking flights has become standard practice these days for most airlines, and your chances of being booted are higher than ever. But before you resign yourself to a spot on the floor, Airfarewatchdog.com has some advice to offer.
 
For starters, if you're involuntarily bumped off your flight and the airline can't get you to your destination within an hour of the original arrival time, federal law requires that you be paid the equivalent of your one-way fare up to $200 or $400, depending on the length of the delay.

This compensation is woefully inadequate and hasn’t been adjusted for inflation since first introduced into law. (And no, you won’t be compensated for the mega business deal you weren’t able to close because you weren’t there.) Passengers should insist on cold hard cash instead of a travel voucher since they come with restrictions and can be difficult to redeem, according to David Stempler of the Air Travelers Association.

While you’re waiting in line with other disgruntled bumpees for a gate agent, fire up your mobile phone and call the airline’s 800 number directly. Speaking immediately to an agent on the phone can help you skirt any airport computer systems that give priority to frequent fliers or those who paid top dollar for their fare. So it's a good idea to call in for first crack at seats. And it’s always a good idea to have a Plan B: know what other airlines fly your route and their schedules so you can ask to be rebooked on another carrier (this doesn’t always work but it’s worth a try).
 
One way to avoid getting bumped altogether is to fly JetBlue Airways, which, uniquely among US domestic airlines, does not overbook and consequently has the lowest incidence of involuntary bumping among US carriers, followed by AirTran. And flying to or within the Hawaiian Islands should be a breeze, since Hawaiian Air always scores in the top five carriers for the fewest involuntary denied boardings.
 
If you really can't afford to take any chances, you should know that Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, and Delta Air Lines consistently score the worst. You can find these and other rankings on the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection Web site.
 
You should also know that the folks in the cheap seats have lower priority on some airlines than the people who paid full fare. If you're a very frequent flyer at the highest tier of your airline's program and/or paid a full fare (or are a business- or first-class passenger) you're more likely to get on board than the poor chap who paid next to nothing for his coach ticket.
 
Of course, the easiest thing you can do to prevent getting bumped is to arrive early. On overbooked flights, the last passengers to check in are among the first to get kicked off. For those days when time is most definitely not on your side, call the airline in advance to let them know you'll be late and reserve a seat on the next flight.
 
There are, however, a few exceptions to the bumping rule, in which case you may find yourself out of luck. For example, if the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn't required to compensate people who are bumped as a result.
 
Compensation also does not apply to charter flights, or scheduled flights with 60 or fewer passengers. Also remember that these rules vary for international flights, even if they're on US-based carriers.
 
However, if you’re flying from or within the European Union, you’re protected from overbooking under a whole different set of regulations, which are stricter than those in the US and include mandatory meal and hotel accommodations if the resulting delay is long enough. These rules apply to citizens of any country, European or not.
 
Not sure where you stand with your airline? Check its contract of carriage. In fact, it's a good idea to print this out and have it with you for reference in case of such an emergency. It may sound unnecessarily nerdy now, but, hey, it just may save you from sleeping on a row of chairs next to Gate 43A.

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