Following a dispute a Ryanair passenger had with the airline when he asked to give up their place on the flight, a travel expert has offered detail on how such airlines exploit loopholes
Greedy airlines can legally “bump” passengers – move them onto other services without their permission – when they overbook flights, a travel expert has warned.
Passengers are not guaranteed a seat even when they book one, the professional confirmed, following recent disputes around the practice. One Ryanair passenger was moved onto another flight after the airline switched planes from a Boeing 737-8200 to a 737-800, which has eight less seats.
But Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, from Birmingham, “hadn’t reserved seats” for the two-hour trip to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, something travel expert Rory Boland recommends. However, he added airlines passengers are not guaranteed a seat even when they book one.
Mr Boland, travel editor at consumer group Which?, said: “Sometimes a last minute change of aircraft might mean less seats available than planned for, in other cases some airlines actively overbook, betting on ‘no shows’ to balance things out, while maxing their profits by charging for more seats than the plane can actually accommodate. If an airline ends up with too many people at the gate, it can’t just bump someone from the flight because they didn’t pay extra to reserve a specific seat.”
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Speaking to Mail Online, he continued: “So long as the flight is either departing the UK, or flying into the UK on a UK or EU based airline, the airline is legally obliged to ask for volunteers before resorting to forcibly denying boarding.
“If you volunteer then you surrender your right to statutory compensation, so you should make sure you’re happy with the amount you negotiate – at a minimum be sure to get at least get the amount you would be owed if the flight was cancelled – which would be up to £520 each for a long-haul flight, or less for a short-haul journey.
“If there are no volunteers, only then an airline can choose to deny a passenger boarding. Anyone who is bumped from a plane should have their flight rebooked as quickly as possible, and be paid cancellation compensation.”
Those who volunteer to be bumped on a flight must agree compensation with the airline, which will often make an announcement at the gate offering cash or vouchers. Passengers in such cases are also entitled to an alternative flight or a refund.
Mr McCormick and Miss Boshwick, both 33, did not book seats, it is understood, because they did not mind sitting apart on the two-hour flight. Because of this, Mr McCormick and Miss Boshwick were each assigned a random seat free of charge upon checking in, which they did online before departure.
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Responding in relation to the couple’s complaint, a Ryanair spokesman said: “This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (May 1) was not ‘overbooked’ – it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats).
“As a result, 1 passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was reaccommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca.
“Mr McCormick’s travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight.
“Mr McCormick was notified by email on the day of travel (May 1) that he was entitled to claim back reasonable receipted expenses, however Mr McCormick has yet to submit any expense receipts to Ryanair.”