Removed from my flight as it was overbooked .....

[Forest2017]

Aibu. To be ridiculously angry and fed up because I didn't think that "overbooking" a flight existed...

Due to fly to Croatia today, 7.25am. With two female friends (all professionals in our late 20s). Tried to check in yesterday but it wouldn't allow us to. Tried and tried. In the end we just decided to get to the airport early and check in.

Printed our boarding passes and then headed through security, had breakfast and went to the gates and joined he queue.

On passing over our cards and passports we were told we had to stand aside. We were not told why. Everyone walked past us one by one.

Finally they told us "this flight is overbooked and only two of you can fly, the third person can't" they explained: albeit rather abruptly and with little apology, that there was nothing to be done. So between us we had to choose who stayed and who went, we were assured the third person would be out on the next flight. I stayed.

I then have a lengthy walk back through to departures, found a help desk, explained, waited... was escorted through security (with others who'd missed flights) and then left to queue in the "EasyJet queue". My friends flew to Croatia and messaged me before I even got to the front TWO HOURS of queing: I needed the loo, had no water and quite frankly was losing patience.

I knew there was another flight at 1pm but it said online fully booked. There are three more tomorrow. Although in my head I was very disappointed to be missing a days holiday, having to wait and fly alone, re book ferry crossings in Croatia etc etc life is what it is....

AND THEN....
I was told I couldn't wait as standby for the 1pm flight. And that they couldn't we book me for a flight for another three days THREE WHOLE DAYS as they are overbooked on all their flights to Croatia until then. Like wtf...?!?!

I went away in tears. I get one holiday a year. I haven't endless money to whittle away on taxis, food, flights.

So I sit down and look at easy jet. Tomorrow 5.55am flight is still up for sale (although I've just been told it's sold out and overbooked by 4 seats). But whatever it's £290 so I put that on my credit card.... I then pay an extra £16.99 for reserved seating and I check in and print a new boarding pass.

I go back to the front desk and explain. They've put me up overnight in a hotel: no lunch offered or snacks. Just dinner.

My issue here is tomorrow the flight is iverbooked. I have paid for speedy boarding, and for an extra leg room seat. All of which I hope to be compensated for. I will join my friends a day late and hopefully enjoy my holiday. BUT that flight is iverbooked and unless five people don't turn up then they'll be removing people from the flight. I hope to God it isn't me.

How do they get away with this?!

And EASYJET YOURE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY INCOMPETENT.

just to add the queue was so long due to various complaints: one lady who's seat wa double booked so she was thrown off, 30 people also denied boarding S they'd downgraded to a smaller plane, a few missed flights due to the gate being changed and then not knowing, then those that were there due to overbooking. As well as the misfortinate who had simply missed their flight.

So I'm in my hotel room, bored and hungry and yes ranting!

That's shit OP

Just coming on to add that we avoid Easyjet when possible, and we have NEVER (NEVER!!!) been on an Easyjet flight that left on time!!! They are shit and their customer service is shit.

Yeah that's rubbish

Enjoy your wine and claim everything back

I'm taking my first ever easyJet flight next month...... Not exactly filled with confidence now.

I've flown with EasyJet twice a year for several years now and apart from slight delays (40 minutes or so), I've never had a problem. The chances are you'll be fine.

I'm baffled by what's happening to the OP though, that's outrageous!

Ugh, that's crap. It's happened to me before exactly as you say but with Air France - about 10 of us (strangers to each other) were pulled aside at the gate and then told the flight was overbooked and we weren't flying. Absolutely infuriating, as I'd spent hours getting to and then faffing through the airport, I wish they'd just told me before I wasted all that time.

They put us in an airport hotel and got us on a flight the next morning though, flight refunded plus a few hundred quid compensation. I'm positive you must be entitled to the same. Though in your case it hardly makes up for potentially missing THREE whole days of your holiday, that is absolutely shocking. Hopefully the flight you found for tomorrow and payed priority for (good plan) will work out, and the compensation will cover the cost of it.

Sorry to add to your problems but I would also check that you are still on the flight coming home after your holidays. It is not usual that if you fail to get the outward bound flight that the return flight is automatically cancelled. At the moment you have the opportunity to argue the situation is not of your making, standing in the line at Split airport is not the time to find out.

tweet tweet tweet! I find that helps get things escalated when needed as they hate the bad publicity. All the best OP and i hope you have a wonderful holiday

I wouldn't feel confident about booking BA-I work in aviation and they all overbook!

I was going to say the same as admission do check your return!

They all (well most) overbook. That is one of the reasons flights are so cheap. They work with tiny margins and are very competitive.

The cheap flights are great. But unless we want to pay more we have to put up with; overbooking, terrible service, no extras and paying more to sit together.

People are under the impression you can have good service for terrible money. Something has to give.

I thought that it had been known for years that flights overbook.

When you get a seat though at time of booking-how does that work?

They sell the same seat more than once?

In practical terms you are due compensation under EU261, they should have let you know your rights. More information can be found here
www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1812051-2017-ba-compensation-thread-your-guide-regulation-261-2004-a.html

YOU ARE DUE €400 EACH compensation for denied boarding. Easyjet have to pay you by law.

Easyjet should also look after you, pay for reasonable costs due to the mess they have made.

I don't know about compensation for missing days off your holiday but hopefully that will make up for something.

I'm so sorry, op. ..on emirates they've always asked for volunteers to stand down, and been upfront with the compensation packages they're offering. Too good to be missed if you're flexible. More of us volunteered than they wanted 1 and, after checking into our rooms we met up in the bar and partied for hours and hours and hours . Great fun!

However to you. Do agree 100% to check your return flight. And once you've found your room - check out the bar

Here's hoping you can turn this round and actually have fun while you wait

Please, can you update this thread once you're safely boarding?

MrsTerryPratchett yes, allthougg it's diabolical, i thought it was common knowledge that all airlines did this.
I hope the op is able to get her flight tomorrow.

We were bumped off our BA honeymoon flight, were told we should have checked in online (wasn't compulsory and we were busy getting married...). We were compensated, put up in a hotel and given vouchers for more than our flights cost but still annoying.

OP - I hope you get on tomorrow's flight, they really shouldn't still be selling tickets when they have you (and others) to get there!

Really sorry for you OP, it all sounds rubbish.

Overbooking has been going on for years though. In fact my sister and BIL used to gamble on getting an extra night away by turning up right at the end of check in hoping to get bumped from the flight and were successful several times. They usually got put up in a reasonable hotel and given compensation and I'm sure you should be entitled to the same

this is the easyjet policy scroll down and select overbooking and denied boarding - you should be entitled to quite a bit!!

All I can say is I feel for you
I have never, in all my life, understood why overbooking is allowed on planes.

God - I'm going to Croatia next week! (Split) I'm going Easyjet too, though I checked in yesterday and printed boarding cards - I hope that's enough.

I've booked and flown with Easyjet loads of times, and never seen this though. Dreadful.

I know, however, from emails and communications that it has become rather more popular destination than previously - our plane has been upgraded from a A320 to a A321, for example. Our seat allocations were changed to fit the bigger plane - you'd think they'd do this in your case too OP.

I'm sorry you've had this to contend with OP, and hope you're able to get all the compensation youre entitled to from the appropriate sources.

Because of this thread I have just checked in for my holiday flights in August, as clearly its best not to leave it too late.

To the poster above who reckons that BA are more reliable, I disagree; We had flights to Italy booked a few years ago, well in advance, and when we turned up at the airport (Birmingham) they said the flight no longer existed as they'd rejigged their schedules! We'd booked, paid, but they hadn't bothered telling us. Not a peep of apology either. The stupid woman at the desk said we shouldn't have booked so early!

They put us in a car with a maniac driver and drove us to Heathrow for a flight there instead. Then sent us a £20 BA voucher which we refused. Instead we demanded recompense for lunch and dinner, entertainment for the children (magazines etc. in airport), lost holiday time, and a taxi from the airport in Italy to our accommodation as we'd missed the train (about £200). They gave it to us after a few shouty phone calls!

This is shit, and would put me off Easyjet for holidays.

Money Saving Expert has a lot of information about this, use their FREE TOOL Resolver to make your claim.
I don't work for them, I have used this service and it was great - low hassle and effective.

Yes, it shouldn't happen, but when it does, make sure you claim if you can.

Not sure how to tag people or reply directly....
firstly: I have flown easy jet before and will continue to because previously I've never had this issue, it's not glamorous, always slightly delayed but outweighed by being affordable.

What i didn't realise is check in opens more than 24 hours before. I also left checking in to the other traveller who had the booking reference, details etc.

For anyone flying easy jet all I can say is check in online as soon as it opens (apparently 30 days before) and don't be late (I wasn't late) but my boarding pass had no seat number on

However judging by the amount of people I spoke to: 30 were removed fromgate as the wrong size aircraft turned up! A few others were also on overbooked flights, of which they could've caught another flight a few hours later, but after queuing for two hours they'd missed the allotted time.

It's really chaotic and there should be two queues: one for lost property/missed flights/extra luggage and one for the "out of our control incompetence". One lady got to skip the queue as she'd forgotten to book her child on the flight 🙄

I am in fact missing my friends pre wedding celebrations (I should make the wedding). I shall endeavour to head to the bar (if brave enough) and perhaps they'll be a "silver lining" although I do now have a 3.30am alarm!

Ps: I've already checked in to my return flight and printed the boarding pass. My bosses wouldn't be amused if I was late back

Wow, that's appalling! I really hope you get the full amount of compensation you deserve, AND a refund on the ticket you've had to buy to make sure you actually get there.
I get that it's an economy system, but it's still not on to treat your customers like this. Dreadful.

That's appalling

What worse is it's happening more and more despite the legal compensation so they must still be making more from overbooking than they are from removing and compensating

Oh God, sorry to read your troubles OP. How utterly shit

The clan and I are flying Easyjet at the end of August...but booked via a Thomas Cook package. Thomas Cook won't give EJ our details until 14 days before the flight. So no chance checking in when check in opens 30 days before!