Help...My Flight is Oversold !!. Review on Finding Last Minute Bargain Airfares

There is a particular chaos unique to airports. Flights are overbooked, get delayed, or cancelled. Sometimes natural weather occurrences cause your flight plans to go awry. And then there are the times when it is the airline's fault as is the case with mechanical problems, and oversells.

Virtually every airline embraces the policy of overselling flights. This means that the airline has sold more seats on the aircraft than it physically has on board. As a passenger, it can be incredibly frustrating to arrive and check in at the airport, only to look at your boarding pass and realize that there is no seat assigned to you. Invariably, this indicates that the flight you have booked on has been oversold. Before resigning yourself to the possibility that you may be watching your flight leave without you on it, let's look at what an oversold flight is, and what this means to you as a passenger.

Airlines oversell flights because there tends to be a certain number of passengers that do not show up for the flights that they are booked on. For some airlines, it is required for every passenger to call and reconfirm that they will travel (usually between 24-72 hours prior to departure), or the airline will cancel the reservation. This is not a common practice for the major airlines, which can absorb a certain amount of lost passenger revenues. The reconfirm-or- have-your-booking-cancelled tends to be the policy for some smaller airlines that may suffer more devastating financial losses if a passenger doesn't show up. Airlines do not disclose the percentage that they oversell flights, and depending on time of year, and where the flight is going to, the percentage that an airline oversells can easily range from 10 to 45 percent!

Flights can be oversold at any time of the year, but this practice is most noticeable around holiday travel periods, when every flight seems to be brimming with passengers. Airlines overbook in order to try and make sure that their flights depart full and maximize profits.

BUT if the airline has oversold and you are not put on the plane, you are entitled to compensation.

Airlines prefer refunds in Vouchersbecause they are not a payment in cash, it is essentially future credit. Because a Voucher is not cash, the airlines tend to offer this option.

Avoid being bumped from your flight!!

The best way to avoid being involuntarily moved to another flight is to prebook seats. It is important to note that not all airlines permit this, and even the ones that do have a threshold set where reservation agents simply can't reserve a seat number for you in advance. The percentage varies, but most airlines that allow for seat reservations cut them off when the flight is between 65 and 85 percent sold. If you are traveling on more than one airline, consult with each airline to see if you can prebook your seats. Even if it is an undesirable seat to you (a middle seat, seats that are rows apart when you are traveling with other people, etc.), at least it is a reservation and they can try to improve it at the airport.

The other way to best avoid being involuntarily moved from your flight is to check in as early as possible. There are some who will say you can get the best seats if you check in at the last minute, but Checking in at the last minute for a full flight often means a middle seat in the back row which is far from amusing on a long flight.

And regarding flaming reviews here telling us how BAD the airline is bc'os they JSUT arrived 2 mins late to the 30-minute check-in deadline - LEARN TIME MANAGEMENT!!