overbooking flights

[pukeko]

What the hell is it with airlines overbooking flights!! I am seriously slutted after turning up two hours early for an Iberia flight out of Madrid (which I had reconfirmed!), only to be told I had to be standby!

I work in the industry, I understand technical and ATC delays - but overbooking is nothing short of criminal.

No-shows are irrelevant, you don't get a refund, so there's no penalty to the airline - just hell for the passengers who did everything right, in good faith.

How do they get away with it? No other industry can sell the same thing to more than one person and then shrug their shoulders when they both turn up to claim what they paid for.

I don't care if it's legal - it's totally unjustifiable and immoral.

[Globaliser]

pukeko: No-shows are irrelevant, you don't get a refundAnd just when did Iberia adopt this particular business model? I must have missed something at some stage after I last booked someone on a fully flexible economy ticket on IB - which she changed three times on the day of travel as she kept missing flights.

[Caribs]

Pukeko,

I think you'll find the hotel industry is one such example where overbooking is quite normal. If you factor in the no show rate you can optimise revenue. Makes perfect business sense but when you're poor sod left behind its a total pain. As per the previous post most of the higher fares on a route permit changes either for free or a change fee and its not just Iberia that do it.

G'luck

[ajamieson]

No refund for denied boarding? Perhaps not, but you are entitled to statutory Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation.

[Big Tudor]

I agree it is a pain when you are faced with being off-loaded but the airlines have to do something when they are faced with no-show rates of up to 25% on some routes. What really annoys me about it is when the sales teams keep the same no-show/ overbooking levels on peak days, i.e. the run up to Christmas. Surely they must know that pax are all going to show up for their flights during this period. Had a flight a few years ago from LGW-DUB the morning of a Five Nations rugby match. Flight was 20% overbooked and guess what, they all showed up. Try telling 20 burly rugby supporters that the next available flight is after the match. :uhoh:

[Desk Driver]

I work in the industry, I understand

I don't think you do!

Most flights can be overbooked by upto 10% because upto 10% of passengers can miss their flight. Granted that occasionaly airlines get this wrong (as in your case) but that is the business we're in.

Now1 if your in the industry and you arrived early but still made to wait then I assume you were on a AD 50 - 75 -90.

Why?

Because it usually works that the last to check in are held back unless you have pax who are Staff or on "Special" fares who are then quite rightly held back first.

No overbooking means anothe 10 - 15% on the fare.

Which would you prefer?:ok:

[FormerFlyer]

Pukeko, just which part of the industry do you work in that has led you to be so upset at the industry norm of overbooking?

cheers ;)

FF

[MerchantVenturer]

Desk Driver,

When you say 'special fares' could you elaborate please?

Would, for example, tickets obtained via Barclaycard/Nectar points be classified thus, or tickets that are part of a package holiday using scheduled airlines?

I have never worked in the industry but am a frequent leisure traveller and it would be useful to have an insight. Thank you for any information you can provide.

[Desk Driver]

MerchantVenturer

By Special fares I mean the Staff offers available which are all "Sub Load" this means all fare paying passengers take precedant over staff.

We as staff are "subject to Load" and if there are not enough seats available we are not allowed on.

However all "Promotion" fares that you might use such as Nectar points airmiles vouchers etc are treated as a full fare paying passenger just like all the rest

So worry not my friend, you will be treated as well as all the rest!

[MerchantVenturer]

Many thanks for that, Desk Driver.

[Globaliser]

Desk Driver: However all "Promotion" fares that you might use such as Nectar points airmiles vouchers etc are treated as a full fare paying passenger just like all the rest Not so sure about all that. I was on an Air Miles ticket to JNB. The night of the return flight, the SA cancelled and BA took as many pax off them as they could. I had a confirmed reservation plus a pre-allocated seat, but when I got to check in (in good time) I was told that I had been put on standby. It came as no surprise to me in the circumstances although it would have been extremely inconvenient if I had been offloaded. But fortunately I was number 2, got on, got a window seat (my preference), and next to a charming young lady as well.

[Desk Driver]

I assume you were an SA pax.

If you were a BA pax and you were held back from a BA flight to allow a SA pax on would incurr some legal issues I'm sure.

[pukeko]

For those doubting my claims:

Yes, I am in the industry - but infrequently eligible for ID 50, 75, 90 or whatever. I do know what they entail, and I accept that risk when (infrequently) I get the chance to use them.

The ticket in question was full fare (about 700 swiss francs return, if I remember right!).

And re the reference to no refunds - I meant that if I don't turn up, Iberia doesn't give my money back. They get to sell the same seat twice, which of course makes sense to them, they're just creaming the situation and screwing around a "good faith" customer in the process!

Flexible tickets are another story - if the airline allows these, they should either charge for the no-show factor, or accept the financial risk. It should not be put on me, or some other unlucky Joe Average.

I don't care if it's common - it sucks!!!!!

[FormerFlyer]

Well if you think it sucks so much to mention it on here what are you doing about it in the real world?

Presumably as you work in the industry you must have some way of contacting the people/depts who are responsible for causing such situations and try to invoke change for the wider good of everyone. Just a thought.

cheers ;)

FF

[B737NG]

I had it often travel on non peak days. Flight overbooked,
PAD - ticket and got on. Sometimes I had to ask for jumpseat
and got still a ride in the cabin. If we, from the "industrie" keep
that option open to offer the jumpseat, then even the PAD gets
a ride on time and the overbooking helps to keep the loadfactor
stable. I understand both sides of the desk.