How to avoid getting bumped from a flight
Air travel has its irritations, but you can take steps to avoid them,
En route to a conference on Cape Breton Island this spring, I arrived at the airport two hours in advance of my 1:35 p.m. flight, breezed through airport security and was cooling my heels at the boarding gate, when I heard my name being called.
“I’m afraid the flight has been overbooked,” the Air Canada representative told me when I got to the desk. “Unless we get some volunteers, you will be bumped.”
She looked unimpressed when I explained I had paid for this flight months in advance and had a conference that started early the next morning.
The next flight wasn’t until 9 p.m. — almost eight hours away. I arrived in Cape Breton at 3 a.m. for a conference that started at 7 a.m. and for the first few days felt as if I’d been hit by a bus.
I’m not the first and I won’t be the last to find myself unceremoniously ejected from a flight. Small wonder business travellers regularly identify air travel as the most problematic aspect of their journeys.
A June 2016 survey of business travellers from Canada, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. by the Global Business Travel Association (in association with Amex) found 73 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the overall business travel experience. Among their biggest complaints: getting through airport security (54 per cent were satisfied) travelling by plane (69 per cent satisfaction) and renting a car or taking a taxi/ Uber (52 per cent satisfaction).
Here are a few suggestions for dealing with some of these irritations: Book your seat in advance: I’d been busy the night before my flight and hadn’t taken advantage of the chance to check in 24 hours in advance. Here’s why you should: Once you’ve been assigned a seat, the airline can’t take it away. I’m not a fan of paying extra to book seats when you purchase your ticket — unless you have really long legs and are determined to get the bulkhead. But pre-flight check-in costs you nothing. Be prepared to wait: Because I had downloaded a few in-process articles to my iPad, with the help of a portable keyboard I was at least able to feel productive while I waited. Oh, and I got a manicure at the airport. Depending on the airport, you might also find a shoeshine, blow-dry bar, pool (Changi Airport in Singapore) and even an aquarium. Vancouver International Airport has a 30,000-gallon tank featuring 5,000 ocean creatures. Gazing into that for a while might’ve lowered my blood pressure. Check out the free app GateGuru for the lowdown on restaurants, shops and amenities in nearly 200 airports worldwide. Stuck in the middle with you: Research shows the best predictor of comfort is having an empty middle seat beside you. So, when travelling with a friend or colleague, I’ll often book the window and aisle seat. My reasoning: no one wants to sit in that middle seat between two strangers. A 2009 survey by 3M and Global Strategy Group found 56 per cent of Americans would rather get stuck in traffic, go on a blind date (56 per cent), or go to the dentist (54 per cent). The upshot: if the flight isn’t full, that middle seat often remains empty. The caveat: on an over-stuffed plane, you and your companion could find yourself chatting across a stranger. On the mean streets: The GBTA study didn’t ask for details about why taking a taxi/Uber was problematic, but “anecdotally,” GBTA research director Jeanne Liu says rude taxi drivers, dirty cabs and not taking credit cards are the most common complaints. However, cab drivers seem to be kicking up their service a notch since Uber and Lyft arrived on the scene. An Atlantic magazine analysis from New York and Chicago found that complaints to the Taxi and Limousine Commission have decreased as Uber has grown. Opt for a Nexus card: Permanent residents of Canada and the U.S. can apply for a Nexus pass to allow faster customs and immigration processing between the countries. Approval can take more than three months and it costs $50 (children under age 18 are free), but it’s valid for five years. You’ll also have to go through risk assessment and interviews by border protection officials of both countries. Just make sure your record is squeaky clean — a friend found herself being grilled about a dropped pot charge from 40 years ago. Time your flight: Aim for midday if possible. Early-morning flights typically mean long lines at security. And evening flights sometimes fall behind due to delays accumulated during the day. To check on wait times at Canadian airports, go to catsa.gc.ca and click on “Security Screening.”