“We extend our gratitude to our patrons for allowing us the chance to clarify these circumstances before forming any judgments. Ethiopian Airlines is dedicated to the safety and well-being of all our passengers and to the adherence of our established operational guidelines,” the airline said, adding that the three affected passengers boarded the next flight.Â
From the statement, Viral Tea found two major issues, the bypassing of airport security and the overbooking scenario. Let’s take a look at the latter first:
Overbooking
You’ve probably experienced it yourself. At the gate, just before boarding, the staff announces that your flight is overbooked and they are looking for volunteers to rebook on a later flight. What is annoying for many travellers is that it is a regular occurrence in the airline industry.
According to Get Going, overbooking is a methodology airlines use to ensure that there are no available seats when a flight departs. They do this by selling more tickets in advance than there are seats on the plane. The point of all this is to ensure that the plane is full when it takes off because empty seats are a financial burden for airlines.
According to some travel experts on overbooking flight statistics, for every 100 seats available, about 150 tickets are sold, hence most flights are undoubtedly overbooked. So Ethiopian Airlines’ explanation of the overbooking situation might not have held water.
Why Do Airlines Overbook?
Airlines overbook flights to maximize profit and minimize costs. For instance, if you were to look at the revenue generated by a flight and how it changes with different levels of overbooking, the maximum profit depends on different variables.
These include the number of seats, the price per seat, the probability that the seats will be sold and that a customer will not show up, refunds for no-shows and overbooked seats.
Passengers board a Kenya Airways plane during the launch of Kenya-Dubai direct flights from Moi International Airport in Mombasa on December 15, 2022. /DPPS
Mathematical calculations on overbooking flight statistics show that even if the cost of overbooked seats is very high, it still makes financial sense for airlines to overbook seats.
However, this does not include risks such as the impact of negative Public Relations (PR) on the airline or decreasing demand for flights due to overbooking problems.
Another reason many airlines overbook is that they struggle to remain profitable because fixed costs are so high, passengers usually opt for the cheapest tickets, and seasonal factors also affect profit absorption.
If only half of the seats on a flight are occupied, the airline does not generate as much revenue as with a full aircraft. Here, an airline’s load factor is a good indicator of profitability. This measures the percentage of available seat capacity that is filled with passengers.
A high load factor indicates that an airline has full aircraft and most of the seats are occupied by passengers. For airlines, there are high fixed costs associated with each flight, and each flight must have a full flight crew and support staff, a well-maintained aircraft with sufficient fuel, and services to entertain customers.
What To Do When Your Flight Is Overbooked
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) makes clear that individual airlines are responsible for determining their own practices in bumping passengers. It states that:
“If there are not enough passengers who are willing to give up their seats voluntarily, an airline may deny you a seat on an aircraft based on criteria that it establishes, such as the passenger’s check-in time, the fare paid by the passenger, or the passenger’s frequent flyer status.”
“However, the criteria cannot subject a passenger to any unjust or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage. For example, an airline could not lawfully use a passenger’s race or ethnicity as a criterion.”
The best step you can take as a passenger who may get involuntarily bumped from your flight is to know and understand the policies you’re up against. In general, the DOT requires airlines to ask for volunteers to give up seats before resorting to forcing passengers off a flight. This can be beneficial for passengers, depending on which airline they are flying and what their compensation policies are.
For instance, an airline could reportedly issue you overbooked flight compensation of up to $10,000 (Ksh1.3 million). If you’re travelling with others, also take note of whether your entire party will be covered, or if only one individual will be affected by an overbooked flight.
According to Nerd Wallet, you can volunteer to get bumped from an overbooked flight. Since few people love spending time in crowded airports for longer than they have to, you must check off the following:
- Find the next available flight where you can confirm a seat so you can avoid the standby scenario (and subsequent frustrations) altogether.
- Ask for a food voucher if your delay is in the two to four-hour range.
- Request a hotel voucher if you have to stay overnight.
- If you have time to leave the airport premises, ask for transportation reimbursement.
- Armed with your knowledge from tip #1, (politely) request the maximum financial compensation within your airline’s policy.
- Consider other perks to negotiate as a volunteer: lounge access, future flight vouchers or a first-class upgrade.
Bypassing Security
Also in the statement, Ethiopian Airlines claimed that the passengers ignored the advice of the Boarding Agent and attempted to board the aircraft bypassing security personnel at the boarding gate.
Viral Tea fact-checked this and found out that this is not a straightforward process as their statement alleged. No passenger can bypass airport counters and security agents within the terminals without a boarding pass and without having their bags checked.
We asked Gemini AI this question, which responded with summarized information from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website. Bypassing airport security is a bad idea for several reasons. Here’s why:
- Safety: Airport security is in place to keep you and everyone else on the plane safe. Tampering with security measures could put yourself and others at risk.
- Legal Trouble: Bypassing security is a crime and can lead to arrest, fines, and even jail time.
- Not Worth the Risk: Security isn’t perfect, but it deters threats and helps keep air travel safe. There are ways to make security lines faster, such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck or Clear, which are much safer and legal options.
Here are some legitimate ways to speed up your security screening process:
- TSA PreCheck or Global Entry: These programs allow expedited screening with less inconvenience. There is an application process, but if you travel frequently, it can be a big time saver.
- Checked Bags: If you can pack light and avoid checking in with several bags, you can move through the queues at the airport with ease.
- Online Check-In: Many airlines allow online check-in which can save you time waiting at the airport desk.
- Know the Rules: Familiarize yourself with what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on luggage to avoid delays at security.
