Ryanair - overbooking flights?

Stinicker

Ok so I could have this all wrong but today I went to check-in online for my early morning flight from Farranfore to Dublin. When I got to the check in screen where you click the boxes. There was a new message underneath which I had not encountered before, having last flown and checked in 3 weeks ago for a different Ryanair flight.

"When you check-In online If you are Issued a sequence number of 190 or above (located at the top right of the boarding pass). Please go to the airport check-In desk on arrival at the airport. Airport check-In desks open 3 hours prior to departure and close 60 minutes prior."

Anyways I got a very low sequence number so this has led me to think that Ryanair have now become so accustomed to having a certain percentage of Passengers not showing up to fly that they have decided to overbook every flight.

The number 190 is significant because their Boeing 737-800's are rated for 189 passengers and if they have overbooked and everyone turns up for the flight then the guy with a boarding pass with a sequence number of 190 or greater won't be flying!

Take this as a lesson to check in early for your flight if you are certain you will be going! I am flying next Tuesday morning so checked in a week before!

Berty

Yeah right Ryanair. If that was me with number 191 or so I would make sure I was first in the queue at the gate. Screw that. Im not paying the price for an airline over selling the flight. :mad:

Fratton Fred

If they overbook the flight, they are liable to pay some serious amounys of compensation and, I believe, they face a fine from the EU as well.

I don't think it goes on anymore.

undo

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I don't think it goes on anymore.

Quite on the contrary. It used to be that Ryanair claimed to never overbook their flights. (Whether they actually did overbook or not is an entirely different question altogether... at least they claimed to not be doing it.) Now, Ryanair are clearly spelling out that your flight may be overbooked and you may be the unlucky loser.

What has me surprised is that you need to look for some obscure number somewhere on the boarding pass to find out your status. How hard can it be for Ryanair's system to check that for you and pop up a big, red flashing warning if your sequence number is 190 or more?

shanagarry

I think they started overbooking since the volcanic ash issues started. People were booking flights to give them options but then getting home earlier by other mean and not cancelling, meaning flights were leaving with empty seats when others were trying to get on the flights.

There is a procedure that must be followed if the flight must be overbooked. Off the top of my head, they first have to ask the whole passenger group for volunteers to be the bumped person. If you are bumped you get any expenses until you can fly and substantial compensation. If nobody volunteers, then the last people to check in get bumped in order.

I've only encountered overbooked flights a handful of times, but in those cases people always volunteered to be bumped. It's quite attractive to a student or the like who isn't in a rush.

Mr. Presentable

shanagarry wrote: »

you get any expenses until you can fly and substantial compensation.

Best of luck getting it from Ryanair