The moderators sugestion was to open a new thread
Originally Posted by bertheike
I donīt want to discuss the special SYD-MEL case!

So I end suscussing this on the old SYD-MEL bumping thread !
=========previous , copied from old posting=======
It doesn`t matter if the later flight was 30 or 90 min. later!
If the airline denies boarding on an overbooked flight it is theit fault, if they would offer an upgrade on a flight 30 min later, and I would have the time, I would accept it!
But thatīs not the question, what is if the next flight is 8 h. later, and I donīt want to go on the next flight! Here in Europe and in the USA typically the airlines make an offer, so that many people accept that offer and those who dontīt want to get bumped, can stay on the plane.
example 2 weeks ago we have been in DXB for a long weekend, the return was overbooked by over twenty pax; EK upgraded up to all cabins had been full, but there where still 14 pax to much and no other way for a same day return. They offered a systemwide free ticket and a free night in one of DXBīs top Hotels and transport back next morning. If I would not be on this trip with our children which had school next morning, I would be lucky to accept this. But in this case they found others, who where lucky for that offer and we could go back on our sqeduled flight.
It canīt be right that the airline denies boarding for nothing.
Isnīt the following EU law a nice rule ???
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport...s_poster_en.pdf

=====================
Iám interested if there no general rules in Australia , how this problems are handeled? Any ticket is a contract between 2 partys, and each site has rights and obligations from that contract.
So there should be rules for both sites!

And BTW, 744's information about overselling is correct. And he's/she's not an economist "on the one hand" ...