Delta Fares

Can an airline bump you off a flight due to a schedule change?

I had a booking on United flight 8507 from Newark to Calgary on 7/17 at 5.35pm. This flight is operated by Air Canada but the booking was made on United.com. The timing of that flight was changed last week to 8am. That is the only non-stop flight operated by United/Air Canada between Newark & Calgary and the flight number remains 8507. I am willing to travel at the different time but United has bumped me off that flight and put me on a connecting flight which is going to take 3 hours longer. They say that Air Canada is unwilling to put me on the non-stop flight because there are no seats currently available at the fare code that I bought the ticket 2 months ago and that I would have to pay an additional $293 to get back on the non-stop flight. United is willing to offer me a full refund but this seems completely unfair and wrong. Interestingly, my son who has an award travel reservation via Air Canada on that same non-stop flight was not bumped off by Air Canada when the schedule changed! Do I have any recourse?

Public Comments

1. Air France did that to me, but when the dispute got heated to an altercation they bumped me into first class on the same flight for no extra charge. They cant just give your seat to someone else once you have confirmed your tickets, its in the regulations.
2. Your best recourse is to negotiate. If they are getting you to your destination on the day of your ticket, they are fulfilling their legal obligation. However that does not mean you can not complain (nice but firm) and ask for something like double miles, or a $100 travel voucher (common for bumpees) Ask for a supervisor if necessary. United is normally one of the better airlines for customer service. Good luck.
3. Since you already bought your ticket, you should have a confirmation number. Call customer service and tell them that you want some type of compensation and that you want to be the first person on stand-by. Not everyone shows up for their flight so there is a possibility you can still get on.