To be compensated, you need to follow the airlines’ rules on check-in and when you need to be at the gate. For example, on American, you need to check in at least 30 minutes before your scheduled flight time on most domestic flights and you need to be at the gate at least 15 minutes in advance, or you can lose your seat without compensation.
While compensation for involuntary bumping is stated by law, voluntary is still up to the airlines.
If you are going to volunteer, you want to know the compensation, but more important, what flight the airline will “protect” you on. In other words, you want a confirmed seat on another flight, and you want to know when you will be taking off.
If the airline tells you it will give you priority standby on the 2 o’clock flight, that’s just a fancy way of saying that flight is oversold, too.
If you elect to volunteer, and 90 percent of those bumped are volunteers, it’s in the airlines’ best interest to up the ante and give you a voucher even if it’s more money because it’s for an empty seat in the future. The voucher costs them nothing but an empty seat.
For more information on overbooking, visit airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/fly rights.htm#overbooking.
©2013 The Dallas Morning News
Distributed by MCT Information Services
