Originally Posted by fastair
Bumps happen, but planning on them is worse than playing roulette. The deck is stacked becuase the airline holds all of the data. There are days when the bump seeker wins, but more often then not, they get the service they paid for, and no bumps are required.
You really can't predict these things, either. It could go both ways. An overbooked flight may fly with seats empty, or an empty flight may become overbooked by the time you get to the gate.