Bumping is Back

Bumping is back so that must mean overbooking is also. Those with a memory longer than a fruit fly's will recall that airlines creating bumping when they began to intentionally oversell flights with a science called yield management (now called revenue management). Passengers in the States are getting bumped more frequently than at any time in the last six years says USAToday. Southwest Airlines bumped nearly 32,000 passengers in the quarter, more than any other airline. You could blame the computers or the distribution, says Nick Bredimus, an airline consultant. But, Southwest is also unique and carries more passengers than most.