Do not leave the airport without compensation! What to do if you are denied boarding due to an overbooked flight
American attorney and personal finance expert Erica Kullberg recently outlined a horrifying scenario where a passenger is removed from a flight because the airline "sold more tickets than seats on the plane."
The viral video was posted from her Instagram account @erikankullberg and has been viewed by over 19 million people. "Don't leave the airport without demanding your money if this happens to you," Kullberg says in the video, according to Newsweek.
She advises a clear plan of action if you suddenly encounter such a flight problem.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in an official explanation notes that the practice of bumping, when airlines resell their scheduled flights to try to compensate for no-shows, is not illegal. "Those travelers who are unable to depart are often entitled to compensation for denied boarding in the form of a check or cash," the statement says.
This is what the expert advises to seek.
Who can receive compensation
- To be eligible for compensation, a passenger must meet the following requirements:
- You have a confirmed reservation
- You checked in for the flight on time
- You arrived at the flight on time
- The airline cannot deliver you to your destination within one hour after the original arrival time of your flight.
Passengers are not entitled to compensation under these conditions:
- Transfer to a smaller aircraft for safety or operational reasons
- Problems with weight and balance
- Downgrading to a lower class
- Charter flights
- Small aircraft (flights on aircraft with less than 30 passengers)
- Flights departing abroad.
What is the amount of compensation?
The expert warned that "the longer the delay in your arrival time, the more the airline needs to compensate, so they have an incentive to get you to your arrival point as quickly as possible if you are delayed from the first flight," Kullberg added.
The Ministry of Transportation reports that the minimum amount of compensation you can claim depends on the price of the passenger's ticket and the duration of the delay.
If your rescheduled flight is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after the original arrival time (or between one and four hours on international flights), "the airline must pay you at least 200 percent of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, or $775, whichever is lower."
If your rescheduled flight is scheduled to arrive more than two hours late (or four hours late for international flights) or the airline does not arrange replacement travel for you, "the minimum compensation doubles" to 400 percent of your one-way fare or $1,550, whichever is lower.
What should I do if the airline refuses to pay compensation?
If the airline refuses to pay the required compensation, the first step is to request a written statement describing your rights, as mentioned above.
"In addition, I would memorize the name of the person you talk to from the airline. I would open the page of the Department of Transportation and show them the conditions that prove you are entitled to compensation," the expert said.
If that doesn't work, you should submit a written statement to the airline "describing that you contacted workers' compensation and did not receive the compensation" to which you were entitled. The airline should respond favorably.
Earlier, TravelWise wrote about what to do if your flight is canceled or delayed and who will receive compensation and how much.