Turn up early if you want to get on the plane
Overbooking means those denied seats can face long and costly delays
FAMILIES planning to travel abroad on their Easter holidays are being warned to turn up early for flights or ensure they check in online in plenty of time. Failure to do so may result in them bumped off their flight due to overbooking.
Days can be shaved off your cherished family holiday with only minimal compensation.
Omid Azizi-Torkanpour of flight compensation agency Flight Reclaim says: ‘Overbooking is one of the most difficult complaints to deal with. It just should not happen. Restaurants do not book more diners than they can accommodate, so why should airlines?’
Airlines say they overbook their flights because many passengers WAITING IN THE WINGS: Wizz Air, which overbooks, says the practice reduces the number of empty seats do not turn up. EasyJet, for example, says it overbooks by one or two passengers per flight.
Wizz Air, which also overbooks, says this ‘reduces the number of seats flying empty and enables more passengers to travel’.
Passengers who have been bumped from flights say the process is stressful and the compensation inadequate. Compensation ranges from €125 (£107) in Europe for delays of less than two hours to a maximum of €600 on long-haul flights.
EasyJet passenger Cameron Russell, a victim of overbooking, found it difficult to claim even statutory compensation. The design engineer, who works in France, was returning from a visit to the UK on a plane from Bristol to Toulouse.
He says: ‘I tried to check in online the morning of the flight. But the website informed me that my checkin was unsuccessful and instead I should check in at the airport.
‘I arrived at the airport and went to the bag drop desk to check in and was told the flight was full.’
He later tried to claim compensation but was told he was not eligible. When contacted by The Mail on Sunday, easyJet paid it immediately and apologised.
Cameron adds: ‘It feels like easyJet makes it difficult to claim this type of compensation.’ He missed a day of work and had to use a day’s leave. He says the compensation was not enough for the inconvenience.
EasyJet claims that denying boarding through overbooking happens ‘rarely’ and it always asks for volunteers to fly later before forcibly bumping people.
Although being bumped is partly a matter of bad luck, Azizi-Torkanpour says there are steps you can take to try to avoid it.
BIG groups, such as stag parties, are the most vulnerable, he says, so booking separately could help. An early online check-in is likely to minimise the chance of being denied a seat. If you cannot do this, turn up early at the airport as in some cases the airline will simply bump the last people who arrive.
All overbooked passengers are entitled to statutory compensation under European Union law if a flight departs from any EU airport or if it arrives at an EU airport and is operated by an EU airline. Compensation varies elsewhere.
As well as cash, bumped passengers should be offered an alternative flight or a refund of any part of the ticket that has not been used.
If you want to fly as soon as possible, the airline must also provide care and assistance while you wait for the flight. This means food, drink, communications and accommodation if you stay overnight.
If you volunteer to be bumped you must agree compensation with the airline, but if you do not volunteer, the compensation is set by statute.
Get a letter from the airline confirming you have been denied boarding. You have a right to receive this document and without it you may find it difficult to claim compensation later.
Azizi-Torkanpour says: ‘ Many people do not get this letter. Make sure you have it before leaving the airport.’ There are more details of the compensation process on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website. Visit caa.co.uk.
You may also be able to claim on travel insurance, but not all policies include this. Check that yours covers ‘denied boarding’.
Insurance expert Kevin Pratt at comparison website MoneySupermarket says: ‘Your airline will not compensate for losses you suffer as a result of being late to your destination, such as car hire and hotel costs. Claim on your insurance for these.’