Does Norwegian overbook flights?
I heard and read about other airlines but not about Norwegian. I read their website and searched for articles, blog posts but there is nothing I can find.
Do they overbook flights?
Best Answer
Yes, as probably every other airline, Norwegian is also overbooking their flights.
They have in the past months received quite a lot of negative press in Norway about this issue. Since all Norwegian's 737 MAX airplaines are currently grounded, they are also regularly flying replacement aircrafts with less seats than originally anticipated and the situation is quite tense.
Being denied boarding by Norwegian may have more significant impact than with other airlines. On many routes, Norwegian have very infrequent departures, so being bumped to the next departure may mean that you are stuck for a day or more. You can not assume that Norwegian will transfer you to a flight operated by other airlines.
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Norwegian is Certified as a 4-Star Low-Cost Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. Product rating includes seats, amenities, food & beverages, IFE, cleanliness etc, and service rating is for both cabin staff and ground staff.Will Norwegian Air Bounce Back?
Bookings have risen in response to relaxation of travel restrictions and the roll-out of vaccines, Norwegian said, adding that it expected a further boost in the second quarter of 2022 when holiday travel was expected to pick up.Do airlines have to compensate for overbooking?
An airline is required to compensate you after involuntarily bumping you from an oversold flight in certain situations. However, there are many situations where you are not entitled to compensation.Is Norwegian air going out of business?
In late 2020, Norwegian officially went bankrupt after several years of struggles. Now, just a few months later, the airline is preparing to get back in the skies properly. In addition, the airline is reportedly already looking at growing its fleet again to a total of 70 aircraft by 2022.Why do airlines overbook flights? | CNBC Explains
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Answer 2
The whole overbooking concept is tightly linked to flexible fares, mostly used by business travellers who change their plans frequently and late, which may leave the airline with many empty and unpaid seats. That's the reason airlines overbook: they need to have someone in that seat so they can get paid.
Low-cost carriers usually overbook a lot less than incumbents because many of their fares are non-refundable and non-modifiable or attract high penalties for cancellations or changes, so whether the passenger actually flies or not, they have paid their seat, and there's no need to "replace" them.
However, even though in the beginning of LCCs fares were non-refundable and overbooking wasn't needed, the lines have blurred a bit, so it's possible for them to overbook, though this should be in very small numbers (remember that it will cost them dearly if they have to bump someone now).
Note that any airline, even if they don't normally overbook, may end up in situations that have the same effect as overbooking:
- The aircraft had to be switched to a different one with less seats
- There is a safety issue on board which prevents use of the full capacity of the aircraft (there are damaged seats, seatbelts, life vests, emergency slides, oxygen supplies, etc. or there is missing cabin crew...)
- There was previous disruption with flights delayed/cancelled/diverted, and there is now a lack of capacity to handle both the original passengers and those who would need to be rebooked (in general those originally booked on the flight that actually departs have priority over those who need to be rebooked, but for a number of operational/PR reasons sometimes it's better to bump one of them).
So whatever the airline, you may end up being refused boarding. That's where EC261 comes in :-)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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