British Airways bosses have apologised to Gary Neville after he was bumped from an overbooked flight.
The former Manchester United star blasted the airline on Twitter after he was unable to travel on a flight from Manchester Airport to London Heathrow.
A later message said Neville was travelling to London on a train in an attempt to make a connecting flight at Heathrow on time.
He tweeted: “@British_Airways you are an absolute disgrace!! Overbooking flights and not getting people on...worst airline I’ve ever seen!”
He added: “I never actually travel with @British_Airways as they are a shambles. But they have a monopoly on Manchester to Heathrow. @flybe @easyJet @jet2tweets so much better!!”
BA bosses have since apologised to Neville, blaming ‘weather conditions’.
But they also defended their overbooking policies.
A statement read: “We’re getting in touch with Gary to apologise and resolve the issue, caused by difficult weather conditions in Manchester.
“Many airlines operate over booking policies because a small number of passengers, having made their bookings, do not turn up for their flights.
“By careful monitoring of booking and load patterns for each flight, we do our best to maximise the number of customers able to travel on each service. “
What can I do to avoid being bumped from my flight?
Become a frequent flyer
Sign up for frequent flyer programs. Flyers are less likely to get bumped if they are frequent travellers with the airline they are travelling with.
Fly off peak
Those choosing to fly early in the morning versus later in the evening are less likely to board an overbooked flight.
Don’t accept travel vouchers
If flyers do end up being on an overbooked flight then they shouldn’t take the travel voucher. Travellers who want to end up on their original flight shouldn’t volunteer to give up their seat in exchange for a travel voucher. This won’t guarantee that they will keep their ticket, but it’s their best chance.
File for compensation immediately
If passengers end up being denied boarding they should file Immediately. If flyers who have experienced an overbooking don’t accept a voucher and end up being denied boarding anyway, they should file a claim for compensation from the airline immediately.
AirHelp can handle these claims. Otherwise, they should talk to the gate attendant or call their airline to begin the claims process while they wait for their next flight.
Talk to other travellers
Spread the word among other passengers about their rights to compensation. Every year, millions of people are entitled to compensation from their airlines, but less than two per cent claim their compensation. As more people fight for their rights, the more laws will be changed in favour of passengers.
Passengers must stand up for their rights anytime they experience a disrupted flight so that the airlines can be held accountable for their mistakes.