I was traveling for a couple of weeks last month. I spent a lot of time in airports. In each one I had time on my hands. As a result I wrote at least one post in each of the airports, which am posting from time to time, interspersed with some other thoughts.

They were overbooked by one, so they dangled a carrot. I should have taken the cash, but I was jet-lagged and wasn’t thinking.

Not once but twice the announcement was made, offering 250 Euros to anyone willing to take a flight three hours later. My Scottish heritage was urging me to run to take them up on the offer.

What stopped me was that I was being met at the next airport, and I didn’t want to inconvenience my host. It was only later my tired brain realized I could have had the airline call to say I was delayed. After all, 250 Euros was more than I was paying for that portion of the flight. Although I retrospect I suspect it was probably just a credit towards my next booking, which would limit my choice of airlines.

My wife and daughter accepted such an offer on a flight from London, England, to Ottawa two years ago. They got home four hours later than scheduled with $1200 in vouchers, which I used for our next trip.

Airlines frequently overbook flights. Apparently they have computer algorithms that they use to calculate no-shows and maximize profits. The computer isn’t perfect though and as a result they sometimes wind up with more people than seats, which can cause problems.

I find it difficult to understand how such situations happen. When the flight is sold out, it is sold out. Period. I haven’t noticed that refunds are all that easy to get, though I must admit I have never tried. I have always been under the impression that changing your flight was an extremely costly thing to do and for some flights impossible – if you couldn’t make it you ate the cost. That is why people buy flight insurance. Overbooking just shouldn’t happen – and increasingly airlines are being forced to pay harsh penalties for the practice.

With no-one stepping forward and volunteering to accept the 250 Euros and a later flight I was curious what was going to happen, and a little apprehensive that I was the one who would be bumped.

I don’t think anyone got bumped on my flight, despite its being overbooked. It was a short flight, and food was only served to those in business class. At one point I noticed one of the people in business class (where there appeared to be empty seats) passing food back to someone seated in economy. Obviously they were traveling together and had been separated. Looks to me like the extra person was seated in business class so the airline wouldn’t have to pay a penalty or anger a paying passenger by bumping them. I guess the flight wasn’t really overbooked, just the cheap seats were.

Written at Frankfurt Airport, May 21, 2015.