I understand that all airlines overbook, but I don't know why! The seats are paid for and should be available! If I buy a loaf of bread, I don't expect the supermarket to tell me that I can't have it even though I have paid for it because another customer has already paid for it and wants to collect it - then they tell me that they sold it to me because the other person may not want it and I can have a different one tomorrow!!! I need bread today! Or is that too simplistic!

Prawn
Thats exactly what i've been thinking!!! Is it the same practice with hotel rooms then??

apparently they are not supposed to do it but some salesmen do it. they sell the seats to charters and find seats on different planes. I dont really understand it its all a bit complicated. Seems like a merry go round!

Charter flights are not generally overbooked - it is the schedule flights were it is fairly standard practice. This however normally excludes the no-frills type operators were you pay your money up front for your seat and loose your money if you don't use the seat.

Normal schedule flights will have an overbooking factor built into their yield control. Each airline, on each route, will have a pre-determined "oversale" factor. This is established from past records to determine how many passengers simply don't travel on their booked flight. The airline then sells additional seats up to this predicted "no-show" level to hopefully ensure that the aircraft balances out and a full passenger load is carried.

As to why the this is done - on a typical schedule flight there are many different types of fare available. All with varying degrees of flexibility. The cheaper tickets may not be refundable or transferable, others offer a degree of flexibility to change flights - with a fee paid, others are totally flexible and allow the passenger to change flights, airlines, routes, right up until the last minute. The ticket could also be fully refundable. With the latter fully flexible ticket in mind (often popular with the business traveller) - the airline tries to compensate the potential "lost" revenue through last minute changes/refunds with additional sales to cover this late changes to flights that our made by some passengers.

Generally the system works well as airline yield departments have worked out load factors in almost scientific manners. Sometimes the systems fail them - hence the "overbooking" and the offers often made by airline staff to financially reward you if you change flights, re-route or delay travel plans. Some times you may strike it lucky by being overbooking in economy and being bumped up to a premium cabin!

Similar rules apply to hotel rooms.

we flew with ba to ireland a few years back and due to traffic jam were late arriving at airport but not late enough to check in, so we went to check in and were told plane only had 2 seats left out of the 4 we booked, we asked how this was possible as we had booked and paid for 4 flights the reply we got shocked us, she said they always over book a few seats to allow for people not showing and as we were late they had let 2 people on stand by our seats and that either we took the next flight and they would give us a free lunch but had a 6 hour wait or we could drive to another airport , we were fuming about it, and because we kicked up a fuss and refused to go to another airport etc they managed to get 2 volunteers off the plane offering them some money and the next flight to which 2 guys agreed so we go could go on plane ,what a carry on and as someone else said these seats had been paid for so they shouldnt resell them ,i could see by the look on the check ins face she was concerned that she had let our seats go too early , we didnt complain about it once we got home but we werent too pleased having to stand and argue for about 20 mins til they sorted it out, so unecessary

The "stand-by's" should have not been allowed on until the check-in closed. It used to be -30minutes with BA but now I think it is -45 minutes.

- Note to Mod -

We all seem to be going off topic from the original "Airtours Complaints" heading (it's so easy to do....) Should the topic be closed and opportunities given to reopen specific complaints on Airtours?

I think we are going off topic but because we are a bit confused about the travel industry and its practices.
As you say this is an Airtours complaints thread and I wish it to be kept open if possible. Its very easy to go off topic. Could someone sat up a thread about how airlines/travel operators actually work?? Or has this already been done?
I just find all this stuff very interesting. And I think its very beneficial to those of us who haven't been in the industry.
Thanks

Please stay in topic.

Traveller, thanks for your concern. We will leave this open in the interim, however, if people continue to go off topic, then it will be closed, but not necessarily to start another one.

Kath HT Admin

Thank you Kath
But lets hope that no one else has any hassles with Airtours then it can be closed.

Note to Mod

Please dont close this topic as it is important . If someone goes off topic remind them or remove their post and place it else where.

Response from Mytravel recieved after several emails and phone calls to TO'S then to Mytravel . This hotel is fully occupied all year round so honouring bookings may become a problem.

Dear Miss......

We have not lost the contract at the hotel but we have had a reduction
in allocation. We are currently awaiting confirmation from the hotelier
as to whether the existing bookings affected by the reduction will be
honoured.

At the moment, the Hotel Iberostar Tucan is still on sale for Summer
2006.

So they are aware of these over bookings however this hotel is fully occupied all year round so honouring these booking may turn into a nightmare. The fact that TO'S AND ta's do not send their bookings to the hotel until 2 to 4 weeks before the holiday causes even more problems for customers. We have to wait until the last minute before we know if we even have a room at out chosen hotel.

Oh Well. Was hoping there wouldn't be anymore fed up Airtours/MyTravel/DH customers. Silly me for thinking their recent poor treatment of customers was just a temporary glitch.....
Sorry to hear about your problems with MyT apple1. This is the place to have a good rant about them. And hopefully get some help, support and decent information.

I also have a complaint for airtours, which I went to Benidorm with them in March, and have come more or less to a dead end and cant believe their cheek.

To cut a long story short, we had to pay extra for going over baggage allowance (we were WAY under on the way back) and we werent given theme park tickets we were promised. On top of this, they 'sent us a cheque' to cover the cost of the tickets (only £20 might I add, and since we hadnt receipts we werent allowed the overcharge back) only to find that they hadnt actually put the cheque in the envelope. I couldnt believe the cheek!!!!!

I will be writing another letter in the very near future....

I hope you get it sorted PinkLady. And despite the problems, hope you had a nice holiday. Let us know how you get on.

The apartments were great, no complaints there, I would recommend to anyone (Terralta), but Airtours where just out to get as much money out of us as they could.

Ill let you all know the results.

Recieved Direct Holidays broucher today for April 2006 and no Iberostar Tucan on it.

Have you seen Demilou's post about her wedding booking at the Tucan? Its on the Carribean forum. She's been told the TO only has a contract until the end of October.

Saint, what she has been told is that the contracts are being reviewed in October - not quite the same thing.

FB - I have a DH Tropical Escapes brochure for summer 2006 and the Tucan is very much in it.

See... I am trying to stay positive!! (its hard but I am trying!)

Sallyx