“My favorite state has not yet been invented. It will be called Montana, and it will be perfect.” Abraham Lincoln said this shortly after Montana became a United States territory, but about 25 years before it became a state. It is also one of the things that stayed with Senior Video Producer Matt Paco well after his weeklong trip to Montana to film the video for this year’s Best in Travel.
The Upsides of Getting Bumped From a Flight
16.10.2023 - 17:01 / afar.com
It feels good to have an overstuffed wallet. At least, that’s what I was saying to myself after a recent flight from Dubai to Frankfurt when the staff asked if I would downgrade my seat from business to premium economy for 800 euros (about US$965). The flight was oversold in business class, and I jumped at the chance.
When airlines oversell flights, it helps to lower airfare for everyone because it prevents seats from going out empty. Airlines rely on historical data to show the average number of “no-shows” on a flight, which can occur from people changing their mind, arriving late, or simply switching to other flights. And when the airline predictions are wrong, you can cash in on the situation.
How do you know if your flight is oversold?
Especially during the winter festive season and long-weekend holidays during the warmer months, full flights are common. But simply because the seat map looks full, it doesn’t mean the flight is oversold. Seat maps are not the best way to determine how full a flight is. Airlines block seats for certain passengers, and some travelers opt not to get a seat assigned in advance because it carries a fee. This means that the flight can look emptier than it really is, and you never know which seats have been blocked.
Airlines will often reach out to passengers online to find potential volunteers in the days leading up to a flight or may ask at the airport check-in kiosk, but this does not mean the flight will always need volunteers come departure time. Some passengers may arrive late or not make their connections from other flights. It’s a good idea to always arrive at the gate one hour before departure and tell the gate agent you’re interested in volunteering. Why? Because gate agents are busy, and they don’t always follow the list of people who volunteered via the website or kiosk.
You can also do some homework in advance to determine if they might need you. For example, if you can still buy a ticket for the same flight, it is probably not oversold. Websites like Expert Flyer provide reliable data for travelers on how many seats are left for sale. You can also ask ticket agents if your flight is oversold; they will readily tell you, in most scenarios. United’s website even has an “expert mode” that tells you how many seats are for sale in each fare bucket, and the airline’s mobile app can also tell you if a cabin is full by checking the standby list tab.
Are some flights more likely to be oversold?
Busy travel days such as Monday, Thursday, and Friday are more likely to have oversold flights than flights on other days of the week. But keep in mind that if you fly early in the morning, there is a greater chance that people will oversleep and miss their flight.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
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