Gadling

No, bumping is not the latest craze to hit European dance floors, it's what airlines do when they have more passengers than seats. Chances are that you've been waiting in the departure gate area and have heard the gate agents ask for volunteers for a ...

Because airlines routinely overbook flights to insure against no-shows, some passengers must get bumped from their flight to one later. Still, only about 1 out of every 1,000 passengers gets bumped, and nine of the ten that get bumped do so ...

Spring break is upon us, ladies and gentlemen, which means that bump season is getting kicked into high gear. With the sudden spike in demand, airlines are going to be overbooking flights left and right, which means that casual travelers like you and ...

We've all heard the announcement over the intercom at the gate asking for "volunteers" to take a later flight. And most of us know that you can earn a couple of flight vouchers or sandwiches for giving up your seat, but does anyone really want to do ...

According to the Department of Transportation, more people were involuntarily bumped from their flights last year than in over a decade. The total comes to a whopping 63,000 very angry passengers who had no choice but to give up their seats because ...

I understand that airlines oversell seats as a hedge against passengers that cancel or do not show up to flights. But when you think about it, the concept of overselling -- that is, when that announcement comes over the PA at the gate feigning a ...

So you find yourself at the airport and you know the flight is overbooked. The first thing you want to do is go talk to the gate agent before he or she even makes the announcement. I've struggled to find the right words to do this, but usually I ...

tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/11/11/airlines-not-taking-any-swine-flu-risks-bumping-sick-passenger/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; It was only a matter of time, but H1N1 fear has finally spread to the airlines. Yesterday, ...

When I'm in the airport waiting to board my plane, I always sit near the gate so that if the flight is overbooked I can volunteer to be bumped--for a price, of course. The regular going rate these days to bump a passenger is to offer up a free ...

The US Dept. of Transportation has fined US Airways $140,000 for violating a number of regulations in the way they handle bumping passengers from overbooked flights. The fine came last month. In agreeing to the penalty, US Airways avoids further ...

When a flight sells out, most people assume that the ledger book closes, the flight is full, the plane flies and everyone's a happy camper. Secretly though, the airlines don't do this. Depending on the market and the flight, often times airlines will ...

When you step onto your favorite airplane, normally you only see two classes of service -- First and Coach. Occasionally you'll also see a Business and Coach Plus section (especially on international flights), but for 90% of flights you'll only see ...

Chances are, after the jet leaves the terminal and you're dealing with the gate agent, he or she is going to try to toss you onto the next identical itinerary, give you your voucher and send you on your way. What's important to remember though, is ...

tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/08/04/five-ways-to-protect-yourself-when-getting-bumped-from-a-flight/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; It's hard enough to cope with the risks of volunteering to give up your seat on an airline, but ...

Did you know that when you're bumped from a flight due to overbooking, under U.S. Dept. of Transportation regulations you can demand cash instead of a voucher for another flight? The goods news today is that the DOT says starting May 19 airlines will ...