FlySafair booking debacle

South Africa’s biggest airline is facing backlash for its practice of overbooking flights.

However, experts explained that this is a common practice used by airlines worldwide. While it may leave some passengers stranded and aggrieved, it may also be a win-win for customers who save on their flights as a result. 

FlySafair’s practice of overbooking flights recently came under fire after the airline left multiple passengers stranded in airports despite having confirmed tickets. 

Aviation analyst Guy Leitch explained on Newzroom Afrika that overbooking isn’t just limited to FlySafair, saying, “It’s a worldwide problem.” 

According to Leitch, it is almost inevitable for a few people on every flight to miss their booking for reasons like car problems, domestic troubles, or simply missing the boarding announcement.

For that reason, it makes practical and financial sense for airlines to book a few more people than there are seats available for flights during peak times. 

If the worst happens and everyone shows up for the flight, FlySafair will offer a cash envelope to anyone who doesn’t seem to be in a rush to make their flight, and they will wait for the next flight.

Not only does this help keep the costs of the flight down, but most people who aren’t in a rush are very happy to receive this incentive, Leitch explained. 

Missing a flight you booked can be immensely inconvenient, however, and not everyone may be happy to trade their seat for an incentive.

Fortunately, there are some things passengers can do to ensure that this does not happen to them, he explained. 

Firstly, if you book a specific seat for a small additional fee, you are guaranteed to be seated there and not bumped from the flight.

Since the airline usually only realises it is overbooked towards the end of the queue, only people towards the end of the line are really at risk of losing their seats. 

Notably, this practice of overbooking flights is not considered a problem by the Consumer Protection Act precisely because a lot of people consider it a benefit to be bumped from their flight. 

The Act does, however, provide that the airline must get the passenger to their destination under the conditions of carriage, which is the contract that the airline enters into with the passenger.

Sometimes, this may mean that the passenger arrives late or even that they end up being put on a different airline for the sake of completing the contract – “but I’m afraid there’s no specific protection offered by the Consumer Protection Act in this case.”

In fact, special provision is even made for the practice of overbooking. 

Internationally, this practice is particularly common with low-cost carriers, which do this to keep their prices low by making sure that all their seats are sold and they’re getting the maximum yield per flight.

For this reason, many people also consider it a win-win. 

In a similar vein, many airlines make use of dynamic pricing, which essentially means that your ticket price will be different depending on what time you book your flight.

Those who make their booking early will benefit from more affordable prices, while those who purchase a ticket closer to the time could end up paying significantly more. 

“This is all part of how airlines are keeping their prices very affordable for those who book early. And obviously, if you check-in early you’re going to get your seat rather than if you wait till the end of the queue.” 

However, aeroplane overbookings can also happen for different, unintentional reasons, Leitch noted. 

“Often, it’s not the airline’s fault at all that there’s been overbooking. Quite often, an aeroplane goes technical, and it can’t fly, and they have to pull a standby one out.” 

“So, instead of instead of having a 183-seater as FlySafair normally flies, they might only have 160-seat aircraft – which are the ones on standby – so then 20 people end up getting bumped or not being accommodated.”

“This is a common problem,” he said, adding that airlines also deal with this problem by offering incentives to bumped customers.