Tips You Need to Know When Facing Overbooked Flights

It's getting to be that time of year again when the beach trips, family vacations, and weekend getaways really ramp up. Are you ready to fly to and from your next destination like a pro? Our clients automatically have a huge leg-up on other passengers by having us on their side and on call if an emergency crops up! However, we wanted to help everyone out with this information, even if they are not yet our clients.

Here are our tried and true tips for a more worry-free air travel experience when airlines overbook flights during high season.

• Establish status with a specific airline and fly with that airline (or within its alliance partners) whenever possible

• Reserve seat assignments as soon as the flight is booked ***We do this for all of our clients even if the seat location isn't as desirable as we hope. Having a middle seat assignment is better than not having one at all.***

• Check-in online 24 hours before each flight to reconfirm seat selections

• Avoid sitting in the very front or back rows of Economy Class as these seats may be displaced in the event of an equipment downsize on domestic U.S. flights. The last row is often reserved for families traveling with small children as well.

• Insist the airline re-book the next available flight even if that means it is with another airline

• Comply with the request but always politely ask for more compensation/offers than what the airline is offering

• Ask for a credit card-issued gift card instead of an airline voucher especially if you are not a frequent traveler

• Call your travel agent! We frequently hold the last seats on the next flight out for our clients while they are standing in that long line waiting to speak to the gate agent. They watch as everyone else gets put on less desirable flights, while we have them on the best option awaiting confirmation.

And as always, we are here to help make every travel experience you book with Jet Set Geaux as painless as possible! Feel free to give us a shout if you need any assistance or additional tips on traveling the skies this upcoming busy season.