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!

All airlines overbook. It's standard industry practice, it's legal and will be in your terms and conditions of carriage. As a customer it's a nightmare if you're affected but it keeps costs down.

I'm quite surprised so many people are up in arms about this being something new. It's been standard for years! And still people fly... That's how the airlines get away with it. Consumers aren't bothered enough that it prevents them from traveling and so it continues...

Good luck, OP. You're entitled to compensation legally and you could also use your credit card company.

before this summer I have never heard of easyjet overbooking.
must be a new policy.

Utter shit start to your holiday.

Almost all airlines do this though

First time ever hoping the Daily Picks up a thread!

You can check in online a month in advance of your flight on EasyJet, and either be allocated a seat at random (for no extra charge) or book specific seats for a charge. I'd like to think that the earlier you check in, the better...

Know of even worse with easy jet this weekend. Flight initially delayed by just under 3 hours, then when it got close to the magic 3 h window ( they have to pay compensation after that) they just cancelled the plane. Leaving hundreds of crying kids and parents and no help whatso ever offered by easy jet 😳

I hope easyJet have this thread brought to their attention, and/or Daily Mail highlight this. I will be sticking to Ryanair for my flights to Spain each year and will henceforth be avoiding EJ like the plague.

All airlines overbook.

No they don't.

Just checked and i've pre-booked an extra legroom seat already so in theory, as an easyjet first timer, I should be ok. I usually check in online well in advance too. Hope your evening is ok op.

This happened to me with Etihad. I was flying from Vietnam back to Europe to surprise my family and they booted me off the flight.

I ended up stuck in a hotel for two days near the airport and miles from the city centre.

They also made using the compensation voucher they issued me with an absolute nightmare to use!

Mine had been a connecting flight and they hadn't let me check in for all three flights at the first airport. I soon learnt why!

I've organised a group holiday for 30+ people next year. I purposely chose Ryanair (and paid more) on the basic that they don't overbook seats. It's in their own rules.

They're meant to offer compensation for over booking, not force people off - they are meant to offer it you there and then. E.G "sorry everyone, flights over booked, we'll give anyone who offers to wait for the next one £50" "no takers? ok, £100". I like an auction, literally.

Sometimes being offloaded is not caused by overbooking but by changing aircraft. If the aircraft expected to fly a route is out of service - either broken or in the wrong place and the airline has to choose one of cancel, hire another aircraft, use another of their aircraft. In the last two scenarios seat configurations may be different so a full flight suddenly becomes overbooked.

Do they do this on US flights?

Yep: www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2017/apr/14/passengers-removed-from-overbooked-flights-on-us-airlines-in-data

Just been reading through the comments on the Easyjet Facebook page. I think it's safe to say they are bloody awful. So many people chasing up compensation - I hope everyone takes them to small claims.

Salty (and others), before the small claims court, you can take the airline to dispute resolution (CEDR for easyJet). EasyJet cancelled my flight home on NYE last year on totally spurious grounds. I submitted a claim for compensation that they refused to pay (they paid expenses). I then raised it with the dispute resolution service who ordered EasyJet to pay the compensation.

Op hope you make it onto the flight in the morning. Good luck

It doesn't mean shit having checked in in advance and printed a boarding pass with a seat number on it btw. I had done all that when AF denied me boarding at the gate as had apparently been forced to change to a smaller plane on which my seat number supposedly no longer existed.

But the compensation can be great if you're flexible...and I think proper airlines like BA, AF etc make much less of a fuss about giving you your compensation straight away and getting you on another flight quickly.

We booked a last minute holiday with Tui. There were three seats left on the plane and two of us. I couldn't check in because I hadn't paid extra for reserving seats. In frustration I paid for the seats even though we would have had to be given them as I had paid for the holiday then couldn't check in anyway. Daylight robbery.

But in EasyJet everyone pays in advance for their tickets so why does it matter if they didn't show up. EasyJet already have the money. Confused

Utterly crap corporate behaviour.

Hope you're ok, OP. Sounds like you've been treated badly, and hope you get some recompense for that. More important - hope you take off in the morning to have a great holiday with your friends.

I was just wondering about this:

wasonthelist Tue 25-Jul-17 20:11:48
All airlines overbook.

No they don't.

Not trying to be arsey, wasonthelist, but is that really true? Lots of people have found that airlines do overbook (for lots of reasons), but are there really airlines that never overbook?

But in EasyJet everyone pays in advance for their tickets so why does it matter if they didn't show up. EasyJet already have the money. Confused

Their business model assumes that perhaps 5% of people won't show up for the flight. Therefore they sell 105% of the plane's capacity, to maximize profit. They will claim that this allows them to offer even cheaper flights.

That is why they do it.

was - any examples to back that up? It's an industry I know well and sadly I can't think of a single one (that operates out of the UK) that doesn't.

Ryanair don't overbook, Sprinkle or so they say.