Voluntarily giving up the flight is risky

Airports and airlines are still desperately looking for employees. As a result of the bottlenecks in security personnel, crews and pilots, there is still an increased risk of flight chaos during holiday periods. At the same time, this increases the risk of overbooking.

That means airlines sell more seats for a flight than they have. Because experience and statistics show that not all passengers with tickets actually check in. The business travel portal Travelperk estimates that there is a 1 in 10,000 chance that all booked passengers will actually board the plane. However, how high the individual airlines estimate the percentage of these so-called no-shows remains their secret. The only obvious thing is that airlines always want to occupy every flight seat for reasons of profitability.

Another reason why airlines overbook is the fact that a certain proportion of transit passengers can no longer make the connecting flight because their feeder flight is delayed. In such a case, the connecting flight seat would remain empty if there were no overbookings.

It is difficult to estimate how many passengers an airline leaves on the ground each year. Travelperk knows from British Airways that they estimate around 500,000 overbookings a year, resulting in the likelihood of 24,000 passengers being denied a flight. According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there was an average of 4.4 passengers per 100,000 in the first quarter of 2022 who were unable to take their flight. That is five times more than in the comparable period in 2021.

In most cases, in the case of overbooked flights, volunteers are first sought directly at the gate who are willing to give up their flight in exchange for an upgrade or a voucher and take the next plane.

But the air passenger rights portal Airhelp warns against taking action too quickly. Anyone who voluntarily gives up their seat also bids farewell to all claims for compensation. According to EU Regulation 261, anyone who is denied a flight against their will despite having a boarding pass is entitled to compensation.

Similar to cancellations, the amount depends on the flight distance and ranges between 250 and 600 euros. In addition, the airline must continue to bring the passenger to his destination. This means that while waiting for the next flight, the person concerned is entitled to food and – if there is no other option – the airline must also pay for a hotel night.

It is important that whoever is affected during this involuntary trip to Jerusalem should definitely have the reason given in writing as to why there was no seat for them and keep everything – boarding pass, ticket, hospitality vouchers – for documentation purposes.

If no one raises their finger when asked to cancel the booked flight, the airline employees have the unpleasant task of selecting a corresponding number of passengers who are not allowed to fly. Some airlines let the computer decide. But there are clues as to how the selection is made.

First it hits passengers who show up late at the gate. It is therefore advisable never to show up to board at the very last minute. Every airline specifies a gate close-out time when you check in. It's on the boarding pass. If you don't stick to this time, you risk your flight without the airline being liable for recourse.

Next up are those with the cheapest tickets. Logically, every airline tries not to scare away business and first-class customers with such a negative experience.

Finally, there are groups of customers who would not pick a computer or airline staff as possible losers in a seat roulette game. First, there are people with disabilities and unaccompanied minors. Families with small children follow, and of course frequent flyers, with whom the airline does good business as regular customers.