Shocking Reason Why You Can Be Denied Boarding Even If You Have a Ticket and Haven’t Broken Any Rules
With the summer holiday season in full swing, research shows that more than six million passengers are denied boarding on flights each year – even if they hold a valid ticket.
Overbooking occurs when airlines sell more seats than are actually available on the flight, hoping that a small number of passengers won’t show up. But when everyone does show up, it means someone has to stay at the airport – and that someone could be you.
According to a study by Go.Compare, which analyzed data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), about 20.9 million people are affected by overbooked flights annually. Of those, more than a third (32%) were denied boarding – which equates to around 6.6 million people each year.
When a flight is overbooked, airlines are legally obliged to provide alternative flights, compensation, and assistance to all affected passengers.
Among the surveyed travelers, around 84 percent of those who were “bumped” from flights managed to rebook another one – but roughly one in six wasn’t so lucky, meaning almost a million people were left without a replacement flight.
Of this group, nearly two-thirds (71 percent) said they lost money because of it. However, less than half (44%) chose to claim reimbursement through their travel insurance, according to Daily Mail.
Now, Rhys Jones, a travel insurance expert at Go.Compare, urges passengers to familiarize themselves with their rights in case they are affected by overbooked flights.
“Flight overbooking happens more often than we’d like to think and can be an extremely stressful start to any trip for affected travelers. If this happens to you and you’re denied boarding, the first thing you should do is confirm with the airline that the refusal was due to overbooking. If possible, get this in writing,” Jones advises.
He recommends asking how the airline plans to assist you immediately – whether by rebooking another flight, covering costs, or offering compensation.
“Don’t forget to keep all relevant documents such as boarding passes, airline notifications, and receipts for accommodation or meals. Your airline should reimburse these expenses,” adds Jones.
Although standard travel insurance typically does not cover overbooking, some policies include optional “trip interruption” coverage, which could help if the airline fails to resolve the issue. Jones says it’s worth checking the details of your policy before heading to the airport.
