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Overbooking is a common tactic used by airlines to ensure that they sell as many seats on a plane is possible... but of course, it can be a major inconvenience to travelers. Depending on what the airline has calculated the no-show rate to be on any given flight, they'll overbook enough seats to compensate, but this can create a real issue if more people show up than they predicted. This means that not everyone will be able to board (through no fault of their own, of course), and some will end up getting kicked off the plane to the next available flight.
The airlines usually sweeten the deal, though, offering miles or even decent amounts of cash to those who volunteer to take a later flight. And then, there's this approach that one airline took recently that is basically the complete opposite of sweet.
It's almost unbelievable that this happened, but according to this post from passenger Seth Dillon shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, January 6, it definitely did. Apparently, he was set to take an American Airlines flight from Columbia, South Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina, and the gate agents took an unusual approach to making room on the plane.
"I’m trying to leave Columbia, SC for a 9 am connection in Charlotte. @AmericanAir is announcing that if 20 people don’t give up their seats and get on a taxi to Charlotte, they’ll cancel this flight and no one will make it. Has anyone ever experienced this on American? Insane," he wrote.
He later updated to say that the plane only held 50 people and was overbooked by 40%, which sounds outrageous. And so is the threat that passengers take a taxi for nearly two hours, which would likely come at an astronomical cost.
No word on how this was ultimately resolved, but it goes without saying that passengers who paid to book a flight with the airline deserved better treatment than that!
What To Know If Your Flight Has Been Overbooked
Finding out that you're on an overbooked flight can be a huge bummer, especially if time is of the essence. It's not always ideal to fly on a crowded plane, of course, and you should be aware that you may be asked to gate check your carry on when you board if there's no longer any space in the overhead compartments.
Usually, the airline will start by asking for volunteers to take a later flight, and depending on how important it is for them to secure those volunteers, you may be offered over $1,000 in compensation , according to Nerd Wallet. If you have the time to spare and want to make some quick cash (or enough miles to pay for your next vacation) by hanging out in the airport for a few more hours, this can be a great opportunity.
If they're unable to get enough volunteers to make room on the flight, they may start bumping people based on a variety of factors, like airline status, check in time, and the type of fare they purchased.
May all your future flights be half full, and your compensation for the flights you cannot take plentiful.
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