Why are airlines still overbooking

[SuperPissed]

Just read the news about a family being kicked off a Delta airline flight after refusing to give up their 2 year olds seat! A 2 YEAR OLD!!

Blood is boiling after reading this:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39814586

Greed.

Yes, Wanking, I think you've got it spot on. As soon as they are overbooked the airline starts looking for excuses to kick off passengers.

I think I was almost the victim of this when we travelled in the US last year. When we were given tickets at check in it said that the seats were as yet unallocated and to check at the gate. When we arrived there they said they were still sorting things and I was asked if I had a separate ticket booked for my 2.5yo. Ahhh, yes I did. Not sure if others didn't get on and I didn't hear them asking for volunteers to be rescheduled but looking back it seems to have a been a lucky escape! The plane itself was tiny, maybe only 60 passengers, but unless they are willing to refund unused tickets that are taken up by other passengers (eg. no shows) then stop bloody selling more tickets than there are seats!

Overbooking happens on every airline. A certain percentage of tickets sold will be flex tickets. I get them when I fly business as I have to guess when a meeting might finish. I will have booked a flight but I don't turn up and jump on the next one. You pay over the odds for this because the airline simply don't know if you will be there or not but it's not twice as much. Therefore when I don't turn up for the flight there's an empty unpaid for seat. I also have to suck up that the next flight might be fully booked and can't get on.

The airline make a best guess at how many of their flexi passengers are going to take a different flight. They also make a guess at how many non flexi won't turn up. They won't sell them unless there's a significant demand and they can make the return on that seat.

The issue comes when you have a flexi ticket passenger who is also high status. If you are gold or platinum frequent flyer they will do everything in their power to get you on that flight. Hell they even advertise that as a perk and I've used it! Unfortunately that's when people on the cheapest non flex tickets get kicked out.

Don't think it's right but I can see why they do it.

But it was Maui!

No, really it was...

"The latest incident happened on a flight from Maui in Hawaii to Los Angeles on 23 April, but only came to light when the video was posted online."

I noticed the flight was from Maui though, so say no more....

Airlines have always overbooked and if they didn't overbook then ticket prices would go up.

I was offered payment to wait for the next plane in 1984 (and I happily took it).

Yup bibbity I was offered a bump on a transpac. Happily took it as it meant I was on the same flight as my pals, got free access to the airline lounge plus I got enough air miles to upgrade my next flight. However this was done at check in not when sitting on the plane. It's a monumental fuck up and a totally different situation if they are forcibly removing people from a seat rather than asking for volunteers at check in