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The facts about getting bumped

By Thurston Hatcher, Travel Watch

CHICAGO -- Airlines rely on a formula to figure out how many passengers with reservations are likely to show up for a given flight.

Most of the time, the formula works, but not always. And if there's not room for everyone on the flight, a few travelers may get the bump.

"Every once in a while their math is wrong, and everyone who purchased a ticket shows up intending to travel," says Anne Marie Razza, director of transportation products for Orbitz.

Cash compensation

If that happens, airlines are likely to bend over backward to encourage one or more travelers to voluntarily give up their seats -- usually with a fare voucher toward part or all of a future flight. Other perks may include a seat upgrade or a hotel stay.

"Typically the airlines will go as high as they can to get people off, because they don't like to deny boarding," says Scott Ackerman, Orbitz' director of customer care.

That's because airlines have to offer cash compensation to travelers if they are involuntarily denied boarding.

According to federal rules, an airline must pay an amount equal to what the passenger paid for the flight segment, up to $200. But that's only if the airline is able to reaccommodate the passenger on another flight within two hours.

If not, the payment amount doubles, up to a maximum of $400.

If the airline can get you to your destination within one hour of the original flight's scheduled arrival, it doesn't owe you any compensation.

Follow the rules

One key to help avoid getting bumped involuntarily, or to ensure compensation if it does happen, is to check in on time, in accordance with the airline's requirements.

"If you don't check in on their deadline, they're going to use you first, and then they don't even have to pay," Ackerman says.

Gate attendants, he adds, often have a good deal of discretion when it comes to decisions about denied boarding, so politeness can't hurt, either.

"Be on time and be nice," he says.

Of course, some travelers actually want to get bumped so they can save money on a future flight. If that's your goal, ask the gate agent if the airline is looking for volunteers, and if so, ask that your name be put on the list.

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