2023-07-15 05:13:05
You have your plane ticket, your passport and yet you cannot board. Many airlines legally practice overbooking, or overbooking. But what are the steps to take when you are a victim?
About one person in 2000 is a victim of overbooking. The practice is not new but it continues to amaze: every day, airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane.
“Letting a plane leave with empty seats makes no sense, neither ecological nor economical. Overbooking allows us to use our planes to the maximum of their capacity”, justifies Swiss, who prefers to keep secret the number of additional tickets put in place. sale on its flights.
Its American counterpart Delta Airlines recognizes for its part reaching 4% overbooking. These percentages are tested by the companies to fill the planes as much as possible while limiting the risk of remaining on the floor.
Refund or replace
If you cannot get on the plane, the airline is obliged to refund the ticket or offer you an alternative flight.
If you choose the second option, postponing your trip, several services are offered to you depending on the waiting time: drinks and meals, a hotel room if your flight is postponed to the next day, a means of transport for you to get there and a means of communication.
The airline must indeed allow you to warn your relatives or the people with whom you had an appointment, of your delay.
>> See also the 7:30 p.m. report:
The practice of overbooking is common. It consists of selling more tickets than there are seats on the plane. / 7:30 p.m. / 2 mins. / Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Progressive compensation
The customer is also entitled to compensation. Depending on the distance of the flight, however, the sum is not the same. Passengers can get:
– 250 francs for flights from fewer 1500 km
– 400 francs for flights from 1500 to 3500 km
– 600 francs for flights from more than 3500 km
But if you finally take a flight delayed by only a few hours, the compensation is often halved.
How to avoid it?
Is there a way not to be overbooked? Some airlines draw lots for passengers who will not be able to board. In this case, there is no way to escape it.
On the other hand, if you check in online the day before or if you are a minor and you are traveling alone, your flight should normally be insured. However, this is not always the case.
>> Read also: The situation promises to be particularly difficult for European skies this summer
Charlotte Onfroy-Barrier/vajo
1689400931
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