We can not always afford to go on foreign vacations, no matter how much we would like to. Nevertheless, unforeseen circumstances may arise that will never allow him to take place. How to behave in a situation where the flight is canceled is still clear. But what to do if overbooking has arisen? What is this word and what is its meaning, not everyone understands.
Definition
The word "overbooking" comes from English overbooking and literally means "rebooking, resale." The system of selling services or goods, as well as an effective income management tool for an enterprise, is overbooking. What kind of system is this? Its meaning lies in the fact that the seller or supplier assumes more responsibility for the provision of goods or services than he can actually assume. The fact is that according to statistics, not all obligations will be fulfilled, but only a large part of them. For example, airlines are counting on some of the passengers who have bought tickets to refuse transportation.
History of the overbooking system
Initially, they began to use the overbooking system of airlines from the United States.
The meaning of such a marketing policy was that passengers were allowed to refuse the purchased tickets and receive the amount paid for them without penalties, even in situations where they were late for the flight or immediately before departure. However, for some airlines this system was disadvantageous, because the planes flew empty due to refused passengers.
After such a sad experience, overbooking came to replace this system. The number of tickets sold exceeded the number of seats in the cabin. This was done on the basis that not all passengers will be at check-in.
Often there were situations when all passengers who bought tickets arrived on time at the check-in counter. Under such circumstances, company representatives suggested that passengers voluntarily refuse to fly. In exchange, they were offered a number of services absolutely free of charge - staying at the hotel until the next flight, upgrading the service class, and also a food voucher. The cost of such services for airlines was much less than the losses that it would have suffered if the same passenger refused to fly. As a rule, there are enough “volunteers”.
What is overbooking?
There are only four varieties of overbooking:
- Planned - not all passengers pass control on landing, so more tickets are sold than there are seats on the aircraft.
- Situational - arises in case of replacing an aircraft with a smaller one for technical reasons.
- In one class of service - the number of tickets sold for one class exceeds the number of seats in it, although the aircraft is full.
- Gold - there are passengers, for example, often flying or VIP, whom the airline cannot refuse to carry, even to the detriment of other commercial passengers.
Airlines actions in case of overbooking
You need to know, speaking about the marketing policy “overbooking”, that this is not only the resale of airline tickets. It includes certain events conducted by the airline’s employees.
If during the registration process it becomes clear that such a situation has arisen, company representatives are involved in the work, who begin activities to find passengers who agree to fly on another flight. This search is carried out by interviewing passengers or by means of a general announcement in the registration room. Volunteers are fast, because the reward is a pretty decent amount.
A situation may also arise when passengers are forced to upgrade from economy to business class. But such cases are rare.
Overbooking in Russia
The practice of reselling airline tickets has been around for a long time. The basis for it was the statistics that were collected over the years for passengers who didn’t appear on the flight. The percentage of resale is determined individually for each airline. For example, in European carriers, such as LuftHansa, EasyJet, it is about 5%. Russian carriers have much more. Aeroflot overbooking - about 10-15%.
The percentage of passengers who did not show up for boarding is an internal matter of the air carrier. But the regulation of marketing policy is the competence of the legislature.
In countries of Europe and North America, laws exist that govern the rights and obligations of both passengers and airlines. Overbooking airline tickets in Russia for a long time does not have a legislative framework. Officially, it was not banned, but was used behind the scenes, which created certain risks. This threatened the airlines with litigation, while the passengers could only hope for a favorable combination of circumstances.
In June this year, the Ministry of Transport completed the development of a bill regulating airline ticket overbooking. The law, according to preliminary information, will enter into force next year.
Overbooking in times of crisis
It was during the most difficult crisis period for the country that air carriers, primarily Aeroflot, recalled that overbooking was not regulated by law. What explains such increased interest?
Airlines, especially regional ones, now have no confidence in the future. The decrease in passenger traffic is a consequence of the economic crisis.
Overbooking is one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to increase the occupancy rate of aircraft, improving the financial position of the carrier. If it is legalized, revenue will increase.
Arguments Against Overbooking
Opponents of the legalization of overbooking are organizations that protect the rights of passengers. They argue that such a resale policy negatively affects the image of the airline and further overloads staff.
Opponents of overbooking also assure that air carriers overestimate statistics on unappeared passengers.
Most Russian domestic flights are not carried out every day, but some generally once a week. Therefore, passengers in anticipation of the next aircraft can spend several days, and if they have further connections along the route, then most likely they will miss them.
Foreign experience
How does overbooking work abroad? What is this system in foreign airlines? When there are more passengers arriving at the check-in than the seats declared on the plane for them, airline personnel must find those who are ready to fly on another flight. They are offered a number of bonuses in the form of a business class flight, discounts on tickets, extra miles on a frequent flyer card, invitations to the superior lounge, and a hotel while waiting.
If there are no passengers who are ready to cancel the flight, the carrier terminates the contract with one of the passengers. But the full cost of the ticket is returned to him and compensation is paid. According to statistics, such cases occur with one in 10,000 passengers.
Avoiding Overbooking: Quick Tips
Overbooking can be both planned and unscheduled. How can you avoid an unpleasant situation?
- Arrive at the airport on time - seats in the cabin run out towards the end of check-in.
- Prefer check-in online (luggage can be checked in at the airport at special desks).
- The direction should not be the most sought after.
- Avoid early flights.
Few Russian air passengers are familiar with the concept of “airline ticket overbooking”. What it is? This is the name of the resale of flight tickets, that is, in fact, there are more people who want to fly than there are seats in the aircraft cabin. This marketing policy for the sale of airline tickets was borrowed from Western carriers. Overseas is legalized abroad, while in Russia this process does not yet have a legislative framework. If you become a victim of such a combination of circumstances, do not despair and keep calm. In this situation, you get additional benefits, because the air carrier will provide the most comfortable waiting conditions and provide good compensation in the form of a flight in the first class of service.