What to do if you get downgraded

Downgrading on a flight can feel frustrating. You may have been expecting the more spacious seats of business class, but now you are inadvertently pushed down into the cramped quarters of economy class. Or, maybe you spent time looking for a flight on time only to find out that it was oversold and you were the unlucky passenger who crashed. There may have been a gear swap, resulting in you losing out on the extra legroom seat.

While a downgrade might not be as bad as crashing out of flight, it’s still a pity.

Although rare, involuntary downgrades from first class to economy class do occur. In fact, a recent incident is going viral on social media: A woman declare on that TikTok unified airline took her fiance from first class to economy class and her video is going viral online.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, here’s all you need to know about why an involuntary downgrade might happen and what you might be entitled to.

Anyone can be downgraded accidentally — even Are you a famous “Harry Potter” actor? or a regular customer. Many airlines tend to overbook flights to ensure each flight is as full as possible in case some travelers don’t show up or cancel at the last minute. They are usually pretty good at guessing how many absences they will have and often end up with just the right number of seats.

Occasionally, however, some passengers who have booked and confirmed their booking may find themselves with a seat in the back despite having paid for more in the front. This is most likely to happen if everyone is present or passengers from a canceled flight need to be rebooked and no one is willing to make room in exchange for cash or vouchers.

Normally, if one cabin class is oversold, a passenger may be downgraded to the next cabin class or given the opportunity to board another flight. For example, if an economy class cabin is oversold, an airline may fly the passenger at a different time. Or, if business class is overbooked, travelers may be downgraded to economy class.

Airlines also have a variety of ways to decide in which order passengers will be reduced or downgraded. For instance, those with higher status in an airline’s frequent flyer program are less likely to be downgraded, while passengers with no last check-in status may be more likely. .

Downgrading can also happen for reasons beyond simple oversold flights.

For example, in the case of a couple flying with United, the airline needs to free up a business class seat to use as a cabin crew rest so that crew members can take a nap during their in-flight break. fly. This is usually required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations and by agreements between airlines with unions of pilots and flight attendants. If the airline had to exchange the original plane for another plane with fewer business class seats, that could create this kind of problem.

On that note, there’s also the always-painful device swap. Occasionally, an airline will change planes for logistical or other reasons. That means there may be less room than originally planned on a flight.

Airlines offer partial refunds to passengers who are accidentally downgraded, but those incentives largely vary by airline and country. For example, US Department of Transportation says passengers are entitled to compensation if they have confirmed the booking, checked in on time, arrived at the departure gate on time, and if the airline cannot get the passenger to their destination within one hour of the flight’s original arrival time.

The DOT also has a set of rules that define how airlines can compensate passengers who are accidentally hit. For domestic and international flights, if the passenger is not delayed or delayed by one hour or less, no compensation will be given. However, if an inadvertently downgraded passenger faces a trip delay of at least two hours, that passenger is entitled to 400% of the one-way fare, up to a maximum of $1,550. For shorter delays (about an hour or two), airlines pay passengers 200% of the one-way fare, but airlines can limit the amount to $775.

According to the DOT, airlines must compensate passengers on the same day they are involved in a collision. Of course, you can claim more in the form of cash, travel credit or miles than what you were initially offered, but there are no guarantees.

The Guidelines of the European Union about denied boarding is somewhat similar to DOT except that the EU stipulates that travelers are always entitled to compensation if they are denied boarding. Instead of determining compensation by time delay, the EU sets a compensation scale based on the distance of the flight. For example, if your flight is longer than 3,500 km (approximately 2,175 miles), you can receive 600 euros (approximately $644) in compensation.