How Do I Get Compensated for Getting Bumped Off of My Alaska Air Flight?

Alaska Air is the fifth largest airline in the United States in terms of the number of destinations served, fleet size, and scheduled passengers carried. Its route system spans more than 115 destinations in 4 countries.

According to the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT), it's not illegal for airlines to oversell their scheduled flights to compensate for ticketed passengers who don't show up for their flights (no-shows).

When there are more reservations than the number of seats on board, the airline may sometimes deny boarding to customers; a situation commonly referred to as bumping. Alaska Airlines, just like most major airlines in the United States, is not new to the practice of overselling flights.

Customers who get bumped-off are inconvenienced, and they could be late for or even entirely miss crucial connecting flights, corporate meetings, and other obligations in their travel itineraries.

Alaska Airlines handles bumping in several ways. Firstly, the airline requests for volunteers to accommodate the extra passenger(s). In case there are no or insufficient volunteers, it can make involuntary bumping solely at its discretion.

The amounts of monetary compensation are predetermined by the DOT for all major airlines in the United States, including Alaska Airlines. If you happen to be on an overbooked flight, don't sweat it. Here's how you can get compensated for getting bumped off your Alaska Air flight.

How do I get compensated for getting bumped off of my Alaska Air flight?

Request for volunteers

The airline requests for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for;

• A certificate for a discount on future travel
• Rebooking on the next available flight to their destination at no additional charge. It may include flights on other airlines.

It considers certain factors such as;

• Final destination
• Number of travelers
• Connecting flight availability

Alaska Air has also invested in advanced computer systems that forecast passenger loads, thus significantly reducing the number of customers denied boarding. In case a volunteer is lacking, the last passenger who checked in on time is usually bumped off.

Involuntary denied boarding compensation.

To get compensated for getting bumped off your Alaska Air flight, you must have fulfilled the following conditions:

• Have your baggage checked
• Pay applicable charges
• Have other relevant paperwork completed
• Check-in at your departure gate at least 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled departure time.

Having met the above conditions, you're eligible for compensation as follows:

• Rebooked to arrive at your destination within an hour without monetary compensation
• 200% of the value of the affected flight segment(s) for internal flights rebooked to reach one or two hours later, and international flights estimated to come one to four hours later. The maximum monetary compensation is 675 dollars
• 400% of the value of the affected flight part(s) for internal flights rebooked to arrive two or more hours later, or international flights four or more hours later. The maximum compensation is 1350 dollars.
• In case you cancel your journey, the airline will repay the affected flight segments on top of your monetary compensation.

Alternative method

If you have suspicions as to whether your flight is overbooked, which increases your chances of getting bumped off, you could contact the Alaska Air customer service team or airport personnel. However, the information you receive on your flight status could be slightly different from that at check-in.