Being Bumped For Something Big

Say you are throwing a wedding. Creating the guest list. Usually in this situation most people over-invite. This is because they know statistically at least 10% of the people will cancel or be a no show. It's the same when airlines take plane reservations. Usually they will overbook by 10 –15% since they know people will cancel their flights at the last minute. However, there are times when this does not happen and you have what's called an overbooked flight. Usually, what the airlines will do is ask anyone if they would like to give up their seat (if they were already assigned one.) At first you might wonder why you would even consider this. However, there is one big benefit that would make you think otherwise – free round trip tickets. In addition to the tickets home. Though, before you hop off the plane make sure you ask them a couple of questions:
- Are you going to be booked for the next flight?
- When will that flight be?
- If you need to stay overnight will you get an overnight stay voucher at a hotel? A free dinner?
Usually, in most of these cases the airlines should have answers to all of these questions. So ask before you volunteer.