Anyone who has been bumped from an overbooked flight knows it can throw your travel plans into a tailspin. But now, Australia’s flag carrier is hoping to alleviate this problem by giving travellers an incentive to switch from busy flights.
Take a different flight and get a voucher. Image by Kathleen Finlay/Getty Images
Airlines often sell more tickets for a flight than it has seats available, based on the assumption that a few people might not show up. But if everyone arrives, there’s the unfortunate fact that some people will be bumped – an occurrence that has lead to high-profile controversies on airlines around the world.
But now, Qantas hopes that offering vouchers can convince enough travellers on fully-booked flights to switch to one that is less busy. According to Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF), Qantas is offering up “Qantas Flight Switch” deals, in which the company will text or email passengers about a week in advance of a busy flight, offering up a voucher to take an earlier or later one. The site reports than one AFF member was offered AUS$70 (US$50) to change flights, however when they tried to take up the offer, it had been withdrawn, likely because enough passengers had already taken it.
Get a voucher if you take a different flight. Image by Jaromir Chalabala / EyeEm / Getty Images
That means that Qantas can avoid the issues that come with bumping people from flights – and add a bonus for travellers who are flexible with their departure time. The offers run on flights that run multiple times daily, like Brisbane to Melbourne, according to the Independent.
Being given advance notice will likely help convince more people to switch flights instead of the potentially expensive rebooking when someone is bumped. Plus, it’s likely much cheaper for Qantas than the compensation that airlines in the US and Europe are required to give travellers.
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