An Oversold Flight . How to Avoid Being Bumped
January 9, 2010 by Jason58
Today’s airline culture makes it such that getting bumped is becoming almost an everyday occurrence. Of course, not everyone is getting bumped every day, but somebody is getting bumped every day and every day someone’s getting bumped. There are two sure-fire ways to avoid this happening to you. First of all, remember that if you have a ticket for a flight, you are not obligated to give in to the queries for volunteers to give up their seats. For those of you out there who are apt to want to help others, resist the urge if it’s not something you want to do today. You have no obligation to do it, and all those people sitting around you don’t feel obligated to do it, and you don’t have to either. If you have a ticket and you want to use it, here are some ways to avoid getting inadvertently bumped.
Once you have a reserved seat, you cannot be bumped off the plane unless you go up to the counter and volunteer to be one of the people waiting for the next available flight. There are a couple of ways to go about reserving a seat on the plane so that you won’t have to risk getting bumped. The first thing that you can try is reserving a seat as you make your ticket reservation. If you are reserving through a website there is usually a link that you can click on to choose the seats that you would like to have for that flight. Of course, it’s not just about getting a coveted aisle or window seat; in this case we’re talking about reserving a seat so that you’re sure that you have one. Even if there are no ‘good’ seats left and you have to take a seat in the middle of a row of five chairs in second class, you should still reserve it and then ask, on the day of the flight, if there’s any possibility of changing it. Check-in agents are usually very good about this; if there’s another seat available, they will switch you to it.
If you’re booking through a travel agency, sometimes the airline has given the agencies restrictions about the number of seats that they can reserve. Somewhere around 70 or 75% is where the airlines usually ask agents to stop reserving seats for customers buying tickets. What this means is that if your travel agent ‘can’t’ book a seat for you, maybe he or she really can’t; it is possible that the airline has blocked it. If your travel agent tells you that it is impossible to reserve a seat, try calling the airline directly after you’ve finished booking your flight. Representatives from the airline itself can sometimes get around these restrictions. Try all of these ways to make sure that you have a seat reserved; once you have a seat reserved, you are no longer a candidate for inadvertent bumping.
In addition, get to the airport and check in for your flight as early as possible (well, as early as recommended). While it’s true that on very rare occasions someone who checks in late will get to go through security faster because they don’t have to wait in line, and in even rarer instances they get a seat in first class because there was one unsold, in most situations, you are just opening yourself up to getting bumped if you arrive at the airport after the scheduled check-in time has ended. If you want your seat to be held, get to it on time.
About the Author: Josh Hayes is the webmaster of several websites. His newest site is www.engagementringstyles.org. If you are interested in learning tips on buying an engagement ring or engagement ring styles you should check out this website.
that must really sucked.
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