Originally Posted by
Lioneye
This scam should be illegal and the airline prosecuted.
Imagine you bought something on the net - went to the shop to get it and someone had beat you to it because the vendor sold it multiple times and gave it to whoever turned up first. If you then moaned the vendor said "It would have been a bit dearer if I had sold it properly."
Would you be happy paying a not insignificant markup on airfares to an airline that guarantees not to oversell? The practice is well established in the airline and many other industries for perishable goods, and mostly the airlines get it right and don't need to bump any passengers. Overselling provides benefits to the consumer as well, namely cheaper prices.
EU261 provides some consumer protection from overselling and Involuntary Denied Boarding.
Originally Posted by
Lioneye
This family - probably not frequent flyers - deserve a bit more sympathy here.
Perhaps you should re-read the article, in particular this quote:
I am a pretty seasoned traveller so am embarrassed to be caught out like this."