You arrive at the airport, pass through security and move to your gate, and find that your flight is overbooked. Someone or several someones can’t make it to the flight as it is overbooked.
An overbooked flight can be a mixed blessing. Airlines, including Air Canada, usually overbook its flights. Most of the airlines do this, a majority of the time it works. Overbooking flights means lower fares of flights because airlines can sell more seats. But sometimes this calculation backfires. Airlines sometimes sell too many seats, and everyone shows up. In that case, not everyone is going to get a seat. Usually, passengers denied boarding involuntarily as they do not have a seat assignment.
What is Bumping?
To be bumped from a flight means is to drop a seat when you have confirmed reservation. This happens in the case of an overbooked flight. The practice of bumping is not illegal. Air Canada Airlines sell tickets of the scheduled flights in order to compensate for the “no show.”
Voluntarily dropping your seat
When the flight has more passengers to fly than the available seat, then airlines ask the passengers first if they willingly want to give up their seat. Airlines offer incentives to these travellers, such as vouchers or money. Amount of money or vouchers is negotiable, as there is no limit on it. Before dropping your seat, make sure the pay-off is worth it. You must ask all the restrictions apply to the vouchers before taking it.
Involuntarily bumping your seat
When the flight is overbooked, airlines ask for volunteers to drop their seat voluntarily. When no one comes up, airlines have to decide the passengers who will give up their seat. This is known as ‘bumping” or “involuntary denied boarding.” Book Air Canada cheap flights as early as possible to avoid getting bumped from the overbooked flight.
How does an airline decide who has to give up a seat?
· When there are no volunteers to give their seat, then it is the airline’s onus to determine the boarding priorities.
· Airline will decide who will not board the flight based on specific points such as the fare paid by the passenger, the passenger’s check-in time, or the passenger’s frequent flyer status.
· However, these criteria can’t subject a passenger to any kind of disadvantage or injustice.
Avoid getting bumped from an overbooked flight by arriving early at the airport. Better to check-in online even before leaving for the airport. Contact Air Canada customer service to solve any issue.