Don't most airlines do the same? Usually it works out fine as someone volunteers to take the next flight and gets free coupons/vouchers in return.Don't American airlines (Not necessarily AA) do this regularly? Overbook with an aim to reach capacity every time? Not okay.
Not sure what happened before this, whether they offered him another flight or a later booking at a reduced price. Absolutely shambolic though.Wait, they just pick a random person to throw out?
What an absolute shambles.
They should have offered people the chance to take a later flight at no extra cost, or for a partial refund and avoid bad publicity.
It didn't need to come to this at all.
$800 wouldn't be that much if they were forced to miss a day or two at work plus considering the cost of the flight in the first place, they would probably be up $3-400...The guy was already seated, wouldn't it be *fairer* (but ofcourse, still quite unfair) to pick an unseated person/persons then?
EDIT: Ah, thanks, @Marcelinho87 for more info. Leave it to computers.
But man, no volunteers for even $800.
That's a shit way to treat customers. Overselling shouldn't be allowed.Here is a bit about overbooking. It is done in part because airlines know on average they will have some no-shows. When that doesn't happen, bumping begins.
Definitely a crap way to treat customers.
Why not just compensate the passenger that was late and tell them the planes full? Why drag off a guy who was already seated?Here is a bit about overbooking. It is done in part because airlines know on average they will have some no-shows. When that doesn't happen, bumping begins.
Definitely a crap way to treat customers.
If no-one volunteers then a computer will tell them who paid the least for their tickets and they'll be asked to leave.Wait, they just pick a random person to throw out?
Yeap yeap
That would be how I would do it, well actually I probably would not oversell planes. Instead, feck the no-shows, I get to keep their money, maybe if they have a good excuse and proof of the excuse I might refund them (ie they died).Why not just compensate the passenger that was late and tell them the planes full? Why drag off a guy who was already seated?
Somewhere, Michael O'Leary is furiously making notes.That would be how I would do it, well actually I probably would not oversell planes. Instead, feck the no-shows, I get to keep their money, maybe if they have a good excuse and proof of the excuse I might refund them (ie they died).
Yeah they should be able to plan for that also. Though you can get weather delays and such that screw up the planning. But still, don't put people onboard just turn them away at the gate and compensate them. Seems fairly easy to do.So the airline needed to reposition crew for a subsequent flight and needed the seats for their own staff; it gets worse the more you read.
When I book tickets for my colleagues, I often find this. Normally like a €30 charge for a €35 ticket. But then you also pay the increase in ticket price, or something, so it makes no difference. Edit - Obviously these are cheap flights in the first place though.Though it sounds like many airlines put themselves in the position of having no shows because people who need to change often find it cheaper just to no-show and buy a new ticket for when they can travel.
http://elliott.org/the-navigator/why-some-air-travelers-are-pulling-a-noshow/
From the above:Though it sounds like many airlines put themselves in the position of having no shows because people who need to change often find it cheaper just to no-show and buy a new ticket for when they can travel.
http://elliott.org/the-navigator/why-some-air-travelers-are-pulling-a-noshow/
Depending on the amount of notice given to the airline and the reason for the switch, a change fee isn't unreasonable. The woman has gone out of her way, and simply made work for some unrelated employee who works at the terminal.When Laura Attwood wanted to change her recent ticket on Alaska Airlines from Anchorage to Ketchikan to an earlier flight on the same day, the carrier told her that it would be happy to make the change as long as she paid a $100 fee. She refused, choosing instead to cash in miles for a new flight.
“In fact, I checked in and picked my seat on the flight I wasn’t going to make, and confirmed it,” says Attwood, who lives in Maple Bluff, Wis. “That way, they couldn’t resell my seat. I was so mad that I had to pay a change fee.”
"I was so mad that I didn't read the fine print!"From the above:
Depending on the amount of notice given to the airline and the reason for the switch, a change fee isn't unreasonable. The woman ahs gone out her way, and simply made work for some unrelated employee who works at the terminal.
Yeah I imagine this is the case if you don't have good reputation up against a team of high price lawyers.This happened to a lad I used to manage, he was from from Lithuania and he missed some wedding back home because of it. Security literally dragged him off the plane after he'd checked in and everything - with some random euro company like Whizz Air or something. They offered him a measly compensation package there and then (few hundy and some vouchers off future flights), but he dug in and tried to take it to court - ending up spending thousands on it and last I heard never got anywhere.
Yeah it was only going to end one way. There comes a time when you have to decide where to fight the battle. On the plane with law enforcement involved, not the place. You will end up off the plane.A bit police-statish for me. That said, what the feck was the passenger thinking he could just remain on the plane despite having been asked to get off.
Yeah, it is not unreasonable to charge a few in most cases, but the downside to it is that people will just do the math and figure it might be cheaper just to not cancel the other ticket.From the above:
Depending on the amount of notice given to the airline and the reason for the switch, a change fee isn't unreasonable. The woman has gone out of her way, and simply made work for some unrelated employee who works at the terminal.
Well if he got off voluntarily would anyone care?Yeah it was only going to end one way. There comes a time when you have to decide where to fight the battle. On the plane with law enforcement involved, not the place. You will end up off the plane.