Family got £8,800 compensation after being bumped from flight


The shocking video of a United Airlines passenger being dragged off the plane is raising new interest in the airline industry's routine practice of overbooking flights.

See also: Train companies ticked off over compensation for delays

See also: Odd reasons for flight delays - what if it happens to you?


One woman was similarly bumped from her Delta Airlines flight over the weekend, but wound up profiting off the situation.

"We ended up getting bumped twice and finally canceling our flight," Forbes magazine travel editor Laura Begley Bloom told Inside Edition.

"Delta compensated us with $11,000 (£8,800) and refunded our tickets."

Laura, her husband and daughter, volunteered to give up their seats on an overbooked flight but she used her knowledge of the travel industry to negotiate a jaw-dropping deal.

So could you do the same? If you're willing to be flexible about when you fly, you could profit from the situation.

Laura's flight was overbooked by a long way with 60 passengers on standby.

If there is an overbooking situation the airline should compensate you if they can't get you on another flight within a certain period of time.

Laura and her family actually agreed to be bumped from three different flights over the weekend and were given compensation each time.

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