by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: November 18, 2010   Last Updated: November 19, 2010

The state of the economy has hit almost everyone, including businesses such as airlines. It is a great frustration to many travelers to realize that the airlines indeed do overbook their flights regularly. They do this assuming that a certain number of people will always miss a flight due to either an emergency or just not making it on time to get through security, checked in, and boarded.

Although it is annoying to those who might be the ones getting bumped from a flight when things don't work out quite the way the airline expected that they would, the airlines need to be flying full jets in order to make the profit that they need to stay in business.

Usually, when a flight is overbooked and there is no way that everyone is going to make it on the flight, a ticketing agent will make an announcement. He or she will see if there is anyone that is willing and able to take a later flight. If there is, the airline will usually give them a perk of some kind, the most common being another flight at no charge in the future. This is actually a great deal if you are able to wait for another flight. There may even be one available that is leaving very soon, but taking a different route than you had originally planned. This may get you to your destination quite close to the time that you had expected to be there anyways.

Sometimes, there will be a time when the flight that is overbooked is the last flight out of the night. This is not so easy, since you are going to have to take a flight the next day, leaving you all night to wait. In this case, you will probably still be offered the perk of free travel at a later date, but it is fully reasonable that you also request a paid night in a hotel close by. There is no reason that you should have to pay to stay somewhere decent for the night when it wasn't your fault that you were bumped from the flight.

If you are only having to wait a few hours or so, however, there are many things that you can do to kill your extra time in the airport. You may have brought along a good book or magazine that you could find a quiet place to relax with. If you have a laptop you've brought along, you can get some work done or just entertain yourself. There are shops you can browse and restaurants you can eat in. There are also the airport bars, of course, but if you make a visit there, don't stay too long. People who lose track of time in the airport bars are often the people that the airlines count on not making it in time for the flights. You may also not be allowed on the flight if you are showing obvious signs of intoxication. This will usually be at the discretion of the Captain of the flight.

Most people don't anticipate or appreciate getting bumped from a flight, especially if there are people waiting for them or business to take care of at their destination. There are those few (myself included) who really don't mind, since the perks are typically worth the wait to me. If no one volunteers to wait, though, someone is going to have to get bumped, whether they want to or not. You just can't fit more people on an airliner than it will hold. If you are the one, be sure that you are getting something in return for your inconvenience and try to keep a good attitude. Nothing will change just because you throw a tantrum, except possibly the way that you are treated and the way that you feel while you're waiting.

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