Despite all the red ink, the nation's airlines have been filling planes as never before. Our Savvy Traveler, Rudy Maxa, says he's noticed more and more flights overbooked, which means not every ticketed passenger gets on board. With another round of busy holiday travel coming up, we asked him what recourse a bumped passenger has.

Airlines, always anxious to fill every plane, routinely sell more tickets than there are seats on every flight. That's because they know not everyone will show up at the gate. And if they hope to fly full, they must overbook.

But what if you're the guy left standing at the gate when the plane is fully loaded? Nothing more frustrating than having a confirmed, paid-for ticket on a flight you can't board.

All the huffing and puffing in the world won't help. Airlines have . . . procedures. The first step is to ask for volunteers willing to give up their seats and take a later flight . . . even if it means leaving a day later. Volunteers usually get a free ticket for a round-trip domestic flight on the same airline at a future date. If not enough people volunteer, the offer can be sweetened. Maybe a free round-trip plus some cash, sir?

If that doesn't work, there's a pecking order that governs who flies and who doesn't. First and business-class passengers don't get bumped. Same for full-fare passengers. That leaves the rest of us, the ones holding advance-purchase, discount tickets. Among us, an airline's most frequent flyers get preferential treatment. That's one reason why achieving elite status in an airline's frequent flyer program is a good idea.

If an airline still can't get you to your destination within an hour of your originally scheduled arrival time, you'll get what's called "denied boarding compensation." That's cash. But it rarely makes any passenger happy. American Airlines, for example, will pay you an amount equal to the value of the price of that leg of your ticket, up to $200. If it can't arrange alternate transportation that'll get you to your destination within two hours of your scheduled arrival--four hours for international flights--that payment is doubled to a whopping . . . $400.

If things get ugly at the counter, ask to see the airline's contract of carraige. Highly paid lawyers work overtime to write very complicated rules that explain your options. Most airlines, for public relations reasons, will try to put you on another airline if they can't accomodate you. Or, if yours was the last flight out, they'll provide a hotel and meal voucher so you can try it again the next morning. Even if you don't find mention of these options in the legalese, ask for them.

It's the least an airline can do for a passenger all dressed up with no place to go. Or at least not way to GET to the place he wants to go.

From St. Paul, I'm Rudy Maxa for Marketplace.

December 14, 2004