In this day and age of airline travel, more flights are getting in late, more bags are getting lost and most flights are overbooked. While late flights and lost bags are pretty much the airline's fault, we can give you a few pointers on why you should or shouldn't look forward to an overbooked flight.
Some people really enjoy taking advantage of a full flight to get cash or ticket compensation. That's because if a domestic flight of yours isn't rescheduled within one to two hours, you can get up to $650 compensation for getting bumped (say no to vouchers!). And if you're flying international when you're bumped off an overbooked flight, you can be compensated up to $1300, as ordered by the Department of Transportation.
If you'd rather take the flight you purchased your ticket on, then Virgin America, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways are your best bets. If you're flying SkyWest or ExpressJet, chances are you'll encounter some overbooking. The best safeguards against getting bumped off a plane? Join a frequent fliers rewards program to work on a higher status or choose a super "off" time to fly that isn't popular with most passengers.
If you need any more clarity on overbooked flights, check out this handy infographic from our friends at AirHelp:
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