What to Do if You're Bumped From Your Flight

These days, it’s almost mandatory that airlines overbook flights in order to make money and also fill each and every seat on the plane. There is a small percentage of people who arrive too late to make their flight or just don’t show up and the airlines take this into account when booking seats on each flight. Unfortunately, this means that planes are often crowded and many people each day get bumped and have to sit around the airport for hours waiting for the next flight going to their destination. This is especially true during the holidays. Of course, getting to the gate early could have prevented that from happening. While you could dwell on all the things you dislike about overbooked flights, it’s just as easy to look at the bright side and see how fewer flights per route and stuffed airplane cabins can work for you.

You want to get to your destination just like everyone else, but unless you have reservations to do something right after you arrive or are traveling for business, you can easily be a Good Samaritan and give up your seat to someone who really needs to arrive on time. You may be doing a good deed for someone else, but you’re also getting something in return, besides karma points. Airlines hope that people will volunteer to get bumped and are willing to reward you for doing so (even though they will reward Passenger X, too, when he arrives late and can’t get a seat). Maybe his ride was late or there was traffic or his alarm didn’t go off and he’s in a bind. Let him have your seat and wait for the next flight out. You will end up getting to your destination a bit late, but with some extras in your pocket.

While Passenger X happily gets to his work meeting on time, you can browse the Internet, grab lunch or peruse the shops. You might even want to start planning your next vacation, because your empty seat can net you a free ticket on a future flight. That’s right! You now have two tickets for the price of one! The fuller the flight is, the more desperate an airline will be to have people volunteer to be bumped. This gives you leverage. You can haggle for anything from a credit for future travels (a credit is always better than a free ticket, because you can use it like a gift certificate) to a hotel room to free drinks at the bar. Since the seat you gave up was, essentially, paid for twice by you and Passenger X, the airlines aren’t losing money by rebooking and also giving you a free fare certificate for the future. Of course, what you can bargain for also depends on how long after your initial flight your new one is scheduled. The longer the wait, the more you may get.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has imposed a mandatory compensation for all those bumped from a flight and it always helps to know what you are owed, just in case. For flights arriving less than two hours after your original flight, you should be rewarded at least the cost of your one-way ticket, up to $650. For flights arriving more than two hours after your original flight, airlines are required to compensate you twice the cost of your one-way ticket, up to $1,300. 

If you are looking to get bumped in order to score some free travel, arrive at the airport early, check in at the gate to see if the flight is oversold and travel with only a carry-on to make it easier to get your stuff to your destination with you. Do something nice for someone else and reap the benefits in big ways. Now you can travel practically for free again in the future, helping you to stretch your trip budget enormously. Woot!

Have you ever been bumped from an overbooked flight?

Making the Most of Airline Perks

When you travel, you want to make the most of your dollars, so you get the most value on your trip. Frequent flyer programs can help you get free flights, upgrades and more, but 1. You need to sign up for them and 2. You need to know how to use them. Double-dipping is bad when eating chips at a party, but it's totally acceptable and, I dare say, necessary and encouraged when it comes to travel. Ebates knows the best way to stretch a dollar with cash back and promo codes, and now they want you to travel better, too. Check out their infographic below to see how to make the most of your airline perks. 

Are you a member of any airline frequent flyer program?

Make Your Gifts Mean More This Year with World Vision

What are you buying those people who already have everything on your list? When you grow up, the holidays mean something different for you than when you were a kid. You probably realize that you don't "need" a lot of things. You start thinking about things a little more and want your gifts to mean something. Often, we make gifts for the adults on our lists now, and in our house Eric and I forgo traditional gifts in order to give ourselves experiences instead. Now, you can give something wonderful, but also give back when you shop World Vision.

We simply can't always travel during the holidays, though when we do, we make sure we do our part to put money into the economy where we're visiting, by shopping boutiques and small businesses. Even on our regular vacations throughout the year we try to do this and bring back locally-made gifts for our family. We try to donate where we can and volunteer when we have the time, but there's never a better time to do this than during the Christmas season. World Vision wants you to give you a gift when you give a gift. One of these is the beautiful bracelet you see me wearing in these pictures. Let me tell you how it works.

World Vision is a company that takes donations and turns them into fantastic gifts for those less fortunate around the world. You can choose the amount you can afford and then purchase life-altering gifts for children and families, including animals for their farm, career training and even lanterns for children to do their homework more easily. In the past, we have simply donated in the name of a family member and given them a card saying "For the holidays, we've gifted a family a goat in your name." along with info on the process and how the animal(s) will be used to make their life better. World Vision takes this a step further by giving you wider options for your gifting. I love that you can give a small business loan to a mom so they can feed and clothe their children, or gift a family clean water (because not all of us are fortunate to have running water), or seeds to help a community grown their own food. Whatever you can think of, you can probably gift it and make someone's life better.

Photo credit: Marc Wasserman

Now, when you make a gift, you can get one in return, so you don't just have that little card saying you made a donation. The bracelet I'm wearing is one you could receive if you make a donation of $45 or more, but there is something for everyone, including hand-carved serving spoons, coffee, coasters, scarves and more. All are handmade or harvested and give you a little taste of another culture while reminding you of the good you did. Keep the gift for yourself or give it with the card explaining the donation you made on the behalf of your recipient. 

 

photo credit: WorldVisionGifts.Org

Finally, you can give a gift that really matters to you and others. If you've ever traveled to a third world country, you can see the poverty with your own eyes and you've probably wondered what you can do to help. Well, World Vision gives you the answer and turns your money into something amazing for others who desperately need the help. Your gift doesn't just help those in other countries either. World Vision realizes that there is a huge poverty problem in the U.S. as well and don't leave them out. Clothing, food and more go to help those families in need, especially the children who need good nutrition to do well in school. 

photo credit: WorldVisionGifts.org

Now's the time to realize that we are fortunate enough to have enough to eat, have a safe place to live, have jobs and be able to provide for our children and even have money leftover to travel. Make your money and gifts mean more this year, so you can do good and feel good this holiday season with gifts that will be give back all year long. Plus, don't forget that all your gifts from World Vision Gifts are tax-deductible! 

How do you like to give back during the holidays?

Disclaimer: I was given the Mango Wood Beaded Bracelet for the purposes of this review; however, all opinions are my own and I highly recommend using WVG.