Former Air Hostess Says You Shouldn't Accept Vouchers If Bumped From Flight

A former air hostess has explained why you shouldn't accept vouchers if you're bumped from an overbooked flight. See why here:

Sandra Jeenie Kwon, who worked at Emirates for more than two years, advised that customers could be entitled to a fair wad of cash, depending on how long they are ultimately delayed.

Sharing the low-down with her 3.7 million TikTok followers, Sandra, from Vancouver, Canada, said: "If you are flying within, to, or from the United States and you are involuntarily bumped off your flight due to an overbooking, don't accept the voucher!

"Not only are the airlines required to find you an alternative flight, but depending on the length of the delay, you are entitled to cash."

This is no secret, yet many people aren't aware - hence the viral popularity of Sandra's video.

TikTok/@jeenie.weenie

The US Department of Transportation states: "Passengers who are denied boarding involuntarily due to oversales are entitled to compensation that is based on the price of their ticket, the length of time that they are delayed in getting to their destination because of being denied boarding, and whether their flight is a domestic flight or an international flight leaving from the United States.

"This is called 'denied boarding compensation' or 'DBC' for short.

"Most bumped passengers who experience short delays on flights will receive compensation equal to double the one-way price of the flight they were bumped from, up to $675.

"Passengers experiencing longer delays on flights will receive payments of four times the one-way value of the flight they were bumped from, up to $1,350."

You can see more details of the compensation structure and exemptions on the US Department of Transportation website.

However, this is by no means just a US thing.

The Civil Aviation Authority states that when travelling within Europe, the involuntary bumping compensation structure is as follows:

For short-haul flights that cover less than 1,500km:

- If the delay is less than two hours, you can claim €125

- If the delay is more than two hours, you can claim €250

For medium-haul flights that cover 1,500km - 3,500km, or flights within the EU of more than 1,500km:

- If the delay is less than three hours, you can claim €200

- If the delay is more than three hours, you can claim €400

For long-haul flights that cover more than 3,500km:

- If the delay is less than four hours, you can claim €300

- If the delay is more than four hours, you can claim €600

Airlines must offer customers the choice of an alternative flight or a refund.

Topics: Viral, Interesting, travel, Community, TikTok

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey