An overbooked flight is when an airline sells more tickets on the plane than the number of seats available for a particular flight. It’s a common practice by most airlines around the world to avoid seat wastage and revenue leakage

You may find yourself being denied to board because the flight is overbooked or due to other operational issues.

When an overbooking occurs, the airline will usually call for volunteers to surrender their seats in exchange for benefits. However, if there’s an insufficient number of volunteers, the airline will have to deny the boarding of passengers and offer the compensation or care in accordance to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC).

The airline has to offer the following:

• • Meals, limited telephone calls and internet access (where available)
  • Hotel accommodation (where an overnight stay becomes necessary)
  • Transport between the airport and the hotel (where necessary)
    and a choice between:

i) Refund of the full cost of the unused flight ticket within 30 days or
ii) Re-routing at the earliest opportunity

Check out the Consumer Protection Code’s First Schedule for full details on the compensation you’re entitled to.

Travellers that are denied from boarding due to incomplete travel documentation could be referred to as “offloaded”. For example, if you have an expired visa or passport with less than 6 months validity, the airline has the right to deny you from boarding and you won’t be entitled to any compensation under the MACPC.

It’s vital to have complete travel documents before you travel to the airport. For a handy reminder of other essential items that you need to bring, check out our checklist here.

An overbooked flight is when an airline sells more tickets on the plane than the number of seats available for a particular flight. It’s a common practice by most airlines around the world to avoid seat wastage and revenue leakage.

You may find yourself being denied to board because the flight is overbooked or due to other operational issues.

When an overbooking occurs, the airline will usually call for volunteers to surrender their seats in exchange for benefits. However, if there’s an insufficient number of volunteers, the airline will have to deny the boarding of passengers and offer the compensation or care in accordance to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC).

The airline has to offer the following:

• • Meals, limited telephone calls and internet access (where available)
  • Hotel accommodation (where an overnight stay becomes necessary)
  • Transport between the airport and the hotel (where necessary)
    and a choice between:

i) Refund of the full cost of the unused flight ticket within 30 days or
ii) Re-routing at the earliest opportunity

Check out the Consumer Protection Code’s First Schedule for full details on the compensation you’re entitled to.

Travellers that are denied from boarding due to incomplete travel documentation could be referred to as “offloaded”. For example, if you have an expired visa or passport with less than 6 months validity, the airline has the right to deny you from boarding and you won’t be entitled to any compensation under the MACPC.

It’s vital to have complete travel documents before you travel to the airport. For a handy reminder of other essential items that you need to bring, check out our checklist here.