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Sorry this isn't a direct reply to your story, but I'm interested if anyone knows, does overbooking happen regularly in Europe? Becuase I'm in the UK and I've l

Sorry this isn't a direct reply to your story, but I'm interested if anyone knows, does overbooking happen regularly in Europe? Becuase I'm in the UK and I've literally never heard of anyone getting bumped from a flight. I'm sure it happens occasionally, but is there just a massive divide between the US and EU here? Is there a systemic issue with regulation, is it just consumer attitude, or is the EU actually the same as the US?

ProZsolt 6y ago
Yes, it's common. It happened to me once and some of my colleagues as well. I think they don't overbook as much as in the US. They try to avoid bumping off passengers, because the cost of doing it is much higher. They can't just give you an upgrade ticket. They have to reimburse all occurring cost and they have to pay an additional 250-600 EUR compensation depending on the length of the flight.[1] [1]: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm#compensation-cancellation-3 https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-right...
- vinay427 6y ago
  There is a possibly looser regulation on this in the US as well: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer... I've seen airlines offering compensation worth well more than these minimums, however. Anecdotally it seems fairly common to get hundreds of dollars for a relatively short domestic flight.
CloudNetworking 6y ago
I've seen it twice with EasyJet (BCN - LGW)
fnordfnordfnord 6y ago
I was offered hotel, rebooking, and spending money to give up my seat on a flight from Schipol to NYC once; it was about 15 years ago though.
Seaphyre 6y ago
It's incredibly common in Europe as well, yes, but usually the numbers just about work out with some no-shows and reshuffling people across classes. Also, the ones they do bump off are the standbys and reduced fare, which is why you don't often hear about fully paying passengers being forced to take another flight - and in any case, if they're still over capacity, the promises of free upgrades and money mostly result in enough volunteers to prevent that from happening. I'm not sure about any differences in US regulations vs EU regulations for this issue though.

ProZsolt 6y ago

Yes, it's common. It happened to me once and some of my colleagues as well. I think they don't overbook as much as in the US. They try to avoid bumping off passengers, because the cost of doing it is much higher. They can't just give you an upgrade ticket. They have to reimburse all occurring cost and they have to pay an additional 250-600 EUR compensation depending on the length of the flight.[1] [1]: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm#compensation-cancellation-3 https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-right...

vinay427 6y ago
There is a possibly looser regulation on this in the US as well: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer... I've seen airlines offering compensation worth well more than these minimums, however. Anecdotally it seems fairly common to get hundreds of dollars for a relatively short domestic flight.

CloudNetworking 6y ago

I've seen it twice with EasyJet (BCN - LGW)

fnordfnordfnord 6y ago

I was offered hotel, rebooking, and spending money to give up my seat on a flight from Schipol to NYC once; it was about 15 years ago though.

Seaphyre 6y ago

It's incredibly common in Europe as well, yes, but usually the numbers just about work out with some no-shows and reshuffling people across classes. Also, the ones they do bump off are the standbys and reduced fare, which is why you don't often hear about fully paying passengers being forced to take another flight - and in any case, if they're still over capacity, the promises of free upgrades and money mostly result in enough volunteers to prevent that from happening. I'm not sure about any differences in US regulations vs EU regulations for this issue though.